Supercomputers

Supercomputers
This is the fast and most expensive type of computer they are designed to process massive amounts of mathematical calculations, they are used for things such as scientific research and weather forecasting.

It differs to a mainframe in the way it processes programs where a mainframe runs its processing power to run lots of programs simultaneously, a supercomputer uses it’s processing power on a few programs processing them as fast as possible.

They have multiple processors that may be used in standards computer that work together on a single task or set of tasks, some systems will contain hundreds of these processors.

Multiprocessing
Multiprocessing refers to two different things, firstly it refers to a computer that is capable of running multiple processes simultaneously allowing a user to run multiple programs at the same time. The operating system used must manage resources handed to each process effectively so that they can run well without performance issues.

It may also refer to having multiple CPUs that process data, this is also called parallel processing. It allows supercomputers, mainframes and some minicomputers to make use of standard CPUs that are used in regular desktops by linking them together to combine their processing power. It works by either allocating processes to individual processors or runs processes that work across multiple processors.