Ever since the first computers, people have been looking for ways to make these remarkable pieces of machinery faster and better. Many people are aware of the evolution through which the personal computer has gone, but it is not commonly known just how the supercomputer has changed and how this impacts supercomputing today. It is these improvements, both in personal computers and supercomputers, which make machines such as the Teraflop possible. Under the Accelerated Strategic Computing Initiative (ASCI), Sandia National Labs and Intel Corporation worked together to build the Teraflop; a supercomputer capable of 1.8 trillion calculations per second. Using improved computer design and better operating software, those individuals who dedicated themselves to building the best supercomputer the world has yet seen, succeeded!