The Development and Innovation of the First Supercomputer YH-1 in China: From the Perspective of Technology History

Abstract

China’s first supercomputer capable of 100 million calculations per second was the YH-1, which was independently developed by the Institute of Computer Science at the National University of Defense Technology (NUDT) between 1978 and 1983. YH-1 played an important role in China’s national defense construction and national economic development. It made China one of the few countries in the world to successfully develop a supercomputer. Based on original archive documents, interviews with relevant personnel, and an analysis of the technological parameters of the supercomputers YH-1 in China and Cray-1 in the United States, this paper reviews in detail the historic process of the development of YH-1, analyzing its innovation and summarizing the experience and lessons learned from it. This analysis is significant for current military-civilian integration, and the commercialization of university research findings in China.