A Chinese CPU-only supercomputer has put China back on top of a global power list for the first time since 2017, but experts say the full picture is more opaque.

LineShine, a supercomputer built for the National Computer Centre (NCC) in Shenzhen, China, achieved a performance of 2.198 exaflops on the Linpack benchmark used for the biannual TOP500 list.

Publishing the June 2026 edition of the list, the TOP500 organisation said LineShine was the first system to exceed two exaflops using only CPUs and the first exascale supercomputer of any kind in Asia.

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