Meet Sierra A Supercomputer in America

Level 2 Level 3

Sierra is a supercomputer, and it's the second most powerful one in the world. It's located in a big laboratory near San Francisco called Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Sierra has been working since 2018, and recently, they had a special event to officially dedicate it. This computer is huge, taking up 7,000 square feet, and it's much more powerful than a regular laptop. It's used for important tasks like studying earthquakes, simulating cancer, and exploring brain injuries.

Sierra's special because next year, it will be completely disconnected from the internet, and its main job will be top-secret. It will focus on helping the United States government with questions about old nuclear weapons. Sierra is part of a program that makes sure these weapons still work properly even though they were made a long time ago. This is important for the safety of everyone.

Questions

1- Where is the Sierra supercomputer located?

2- What is Sierra's primary function next year, making it a top-secret task?

3- Why is Sierra's role in studying old nuclear weapons considered important for everyone's safety?

Congratulations!

You have completed the comprehension questions. 

Parts of this lesson are based on: An article Verge Science.