why are supercomputer not 5th generation computer when they
are used for rockets and nuclear research
Answer (1)
The classification of computer generations is typically based on the major technological advancements in their hardware components, rather than just their processing power or what they are used for.Look at the first few generations:1st Generation: Used vacuum tubes.2nd Generation: Used transistors.3rd Generation: Used integrated circuits (ICs).4th Generation: Uses microprocessors (entire CPU on a single chip). Most modern computers, including powerful ones like those in desktops and servers, fall into this category.The concept of 5th Generation Computers emerged in the 1980s with the goal of developing computers that could use artificial intelligence (AI) and reasoning to solve complex problems, process natural language, and learn. The focus was on creating machines that could think and make decisions in ways that mimicked human intelligence, often leveraging advanced parallel processing architectures to achieve this.While supercomputers are incredibly powerful and use massive parallel processing (running many calculations at once) to perform complex simulations for things like rocket science and nuclear research, their core underlying technology is based on advanced microprocessors. This fundamentally places them within the 4th generation framework in terms of their primary component technology.Supercomputers are not classified as 5th generation computers because their defining characteristic, in the context of these historical generations, is their advanced hardware and architecture (rooted in 4th generation microprocessor technology and massive parallel processing) rather than the specific AI and reasoning capabilities that were the original focus of the 5th generation concept. The term 5th generation as originally defined didn't become a standard category for all subsequent powerful computers.
