China’s Exascale Systems Remain a Mystery Since 2021, reports have suggested that China does indeed have its own exascale systems, but is simply withholding information about them from global rankings such as the TOP500.

It’s a well known situation that China has these computers, and they have been operating for a while. They have not run the benchmarks, but [the community has] a general idea of their architectures and capabilities. JACK DONGARRA, CO-FOUNDER OF TOP500

China’s silence is likely related to its geopolitical strategy. Publicly announcing it has built its own exascale systems could result in further U.S. trade restrictions.