Simulations on Fugaku confirm benefit of masks and ventilation

The supercomputer Fugaku, which is scheduled to be made available for public use later this year, has been deployed ahead of schedule to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the areas where the new machine—currently the fastest computer in the world—has made a splash is in simulations of the spread of viral particles in the air in various situations, such as in restaurants, airplanes, and classrooms. One of the key findings that has come out is that masks—particularly in combination with good ventilation—can be useful for preventing the spread of infections through droplets and aerosol particles. For more information, including videos of the simulations, please visit the page on the RIKEN Center for Computational Science website.