Uploaded January 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
A new kind of supercomputer has arrived at Sandia, and while it is not the largest in the world, it may be one of the most unconventional. Designed through a collaboration between Sandia and the tech company NextSilicon, the new prototype system, called Spectra, is designed to process data in a fundamentally different way than most computers. If successful, Spectra could reshape how the nation conducts high-stakes simulations critical to its nuclear deterrence mission.
Spectra features 128 of NextSilicon’s Maverick-2 dual-die accelerators, specialized chips that analyze code to prioritize tasks in real time. This represents a major design departure from CPUs and GPUs, which typically treat all data equally. The potential payoff includes increased performance and reduced power consumption. It is the first supercomputer to incorporate this new chip architecture.
Spectra is the second supercomputer in the Vanguard program that explores advanced computer architectures for national security applications.
SAND2026 16604N
A new kind of supercomputer has arrived at Sandia, and while it is not the largest in the world, it may be one of the most unconventional. Designed through a collaboration between Sandia and the tech company NextSilicon, the new prototype system, called Spectra, is designed to process data in a fundamentally different way than most computers. If successful, Spectra could reshape how the nation conducts high-stakes simulations critical to its nuclear deterrence mission.
Spectra features 128 of NextSilicon’s Maverick-2 dual-die accelerators, specialized chips that analyze code to prioritize tasks in real time. This represents a major design departure from CPUs and GPUs, which typically treat all data equally. The potential payoff includes increased performance and reduced power consumption. It is the first supercomputer to incorporate this new chip architecture.
Spectra is the second supercomputer in the Vanguard program that explores advanced computer architectures for national security applications.
SAND2026 16604N
