Photos: The birth of a supercomputer

A fully assembled, but naked, Blue Gene. When completed there is no need for the fans at the top of the system as it is air cooled by its own methods. The vents to the left are an important part of the process. One of the fastest Blue Genes is in an assembly like this at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in the US, which is run by the National Nuclear Security Administration.

Picture © IBM