Comment Clustering (Score 2) 229
Export of High Performance Computers (HPC) are restricted based on Millions of theoretical operations per second (MTOP) or the aggregate of Composite Theoretical Performance (CTP). See http://www.bxa.doc.gov/HPCs/Default.htm.
Countries are broken down in to Tiers and are subject to export license restrictions based on Tier and CTP. There is a chart at http://www.bxa.doc.gov/HPCs/ctpchart.htm that shows the provisions.
And if you dig deeper into Parts 740.7 and 742.12 of the Export Administration Regulations you find this:
exerpt from Category 4 - Computers
b. "Digital computers" having a "composite theoretical performance" ("CTP") exceeding 2,000 million theoretical operations per second (Mtops);
c. "Electronic assemblies" specially designed or modified to be capable of enhancing performance by aggregation of "computing elements" ("CEs") so that the "CTP" of the aggregation exceeds the limit in b.;
How the US Government thinks it could ever enforce this with Beowulf is beyond me...
