IBM Pits Super-Computer vs. Jeopardy! All-Stars

IBM is hoping to build what may be the world's fastest supercomputer: "a 3-petaflop machine called the SuperMUC that will run on 14,000 Intel Xeon processors and require a specially designed cooling system."

In the meantime, it's pitting its current supercomputer, affectionately known as Watson, against Jeopardy! all-stars Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter. If Watson wins the first Jeopardy! IBM Challenge (airing Feb. 14-16), the $1 million prize money will go to charity.

Big Blue hopes Watson's TV debut will have a halo effect on the brand, and "reveal just how far IBM researchers have pushed the boundaries of these technologies." (Hopefully this one ends better than Kasparov vs. Deep Blue.) More on the showdown after the jump.