IBM Plans Gene Research Supercomputer

IBM Corp. said it will spend $100 million to develop a supercomputer that’s 500 times faster than current models. The “Blue Gene” computer will process more than 1,000 trillion calculations per second, 2 million times faster than a personal computer. That’s 1,000 times more powerful than “Deep Blue,” which beat chess champion Garry Kasparov in 1997. The machine is designed to help scientists understand genes and come up with cures for diseases. It will examine a human protein, which is composed of a string of amino acids, then render three-dimensional models of changes that can signal the start of a disease. IBM shares rose $4.13 to close at $116 on the New York Stock Exchange. IBM hopes the research will lead to use of the computer for other commercial purposes.