President Obama has launched an initiative known the National Strategic Computing Initiative, which aims to fasten the process of developing an 'exascale computing system'. It is a supercomputer that could solve some of the world's greatest problems.

Experts said this supercomputer would change the way researchers carry out observations of climate change, discover new material and study the human brain. Thomas Sterling from Indiana University's School of Informatics and Computing said the exascale computing is hard to fathom.

For now, not much is known about this supercomputer. Therefore, it could not be said as to how this supercomputer would look like and how much time it will take to create. J. Steve Binkley, associate director of the Department of Energy's office of Advanced Scientific Computing Research, said in the case of exascale there are many areas, which need to be explored and require active research.

Binkley said the initiative would prove beneficial, but there are many more things as well like funding and finding solutions to some technical problems.

On Wednesday, Obama's executive order was signed and as per it, "This national response will require a cohesive, strategic effort within the Federal Government and a close collaboration between the public and private sectors".

The Department of Energy, the Department of Defense, and the National Science Foundation will be heading the initiative. They will design systems that could be used by more number of government departments including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.