12 exaflops as geopolitical rupture and the infrastructure of life on Mars
12 Exaflops and the Infrastructure of Life on Mars: Beyond Nukes, Toward Public Control Twelve exaflops. More computing power with supercomputers now than with every prior system combined. But this leap forward isn’t about deterrence, arms, or climate simulations. It’s about who models disease, who sequences DNA, who simulates Mars 2030—and who governs the infrastructure of life itself. The exaflop threshold once symbolised scientific precision: double-precision simulations for atoms, aircraft, and climate. But AI ruptured that lineage. Today’s exascale systems prioritise throughput over transparency. The metric persists, but its meaning has shifted—from public science to proprietary cognition. And now, the battleground is pharma. The EU’s pharma reform agenda is accelerating: exclusivity periods slashed, supply obligations imposed, and cross-border trials restructured. Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMPs)—gene therapy, cell therapy, tissue engineering—are central to this shift....