The world's fastest supercomputer has joined the fight against coronavirus. Japan's Fugaku supercomputer recently surpassed an IBM machine in the US as the world's fasted computer, and it's now being used to help tackle the global health crisis. Satoshi Matsuoka, the head of Riken's Center for Computational Science, said: "I hope that the leading-edge IT developed for it will contribute to major advances on difficult social challenges such as Covid-19." Fugaku is already being used to develop a better understanding of how coronavirus can be halted in specific environments, like office spaces. And in 2021, researchers hope it will help to identify potential treatments for the disease. The Japanese supercomputer is able to carry out 2.8 times more calculations per second than the IBM computer, which is known as Summit. Earlier this year, meanwhile, Apple banned apps relating to coronavirus on its App Store. The company explained that it wanted apps that contain data from a "reputable source" in a bid to prevent the spread of misinformation and fake news. In a statement, Apple said: "We're evaluating apps critically to ensure data sources are reputable."
