The Energy Department plans to build the world’s fastest civilian computer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Capable of 50 trillion calculations per second (50 teraflops), it will surpass the power of Japan’s Earth Simulator, now considered the world’s fastest, at 36 teraflops.

“This computer will propel the United States into global lead in high speed computers aimed at scientific discovery,” said Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham.

Cray, IBM, and Silicon Graphics will collaborate on the project.