In 2003, Virginia Tech created a supercomputer which ranked as the 3rd fastest in the world. The system was made from 1100 dual processor
Power Macintosh G5s and cost US$5.2 million. The supercomputer,
called System X, was disassembled shortly after it was ranked in order for it to be
replaced with Apple's rack-based servers which consume both less space and power.Internet networking research is an important part of Virginia Tech's history. It has participated in Suranet, Internet2, Abilene, the Lambda Rail and other such
networks. Virginia Tech also participates in the management of several key parts of the East Coast Internet including Net.Work.Virginia, and the Mid Atlantic Crossroads.