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Supercomputer named after Mississippi Medal of Honor recipient

By Sethanie Smith Dec 12, 2023 | 5:32 PM

VICKSBURG, Miss. (WJTV) – A new supercomputer for the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) in Vicksburg has been dedicated in honor of a Medal of Honor recipient.

A dedication ceremony was held on Tuesday, December 12 at ERDC’s information Technology Laboratory (ITL). The HPE EX 4000 was named in honor of Cpl. William “Kyle” Carpenter, a native of Flowood.

The machine was named “Carpenter” in recognition of the Flowood native, who is also the youngest living Medal of Honor recipient.

While serving in Afghanistan, Kyle and a fellow Marine were manning a rooftop security position when they were attacked by hand grenades. Without thinking, Kyle moved toward the grenade and shielded his friend from the deadly blast. He survived the attack and saved his partner’s life.

Officials from the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) cut the ribbon for their newest supercomputer at the Information Technology Laboratory in Vicksburg, Mississippi, on December 12, 2023. The system has been named “Carpenter” in recognition of Cpl William “Kyle” Carpenter, the youngest living Medal of Honor recipient and Mississippi native. (Courtesy: ERDC)

Kyle received the Medal of Honor for actions in Afghanistan, which was presented by President Barack Obama at the White House in 2014.

“It is so humbling to be recognized by and named after such a powerful and purposeful creation, that will be used to make our nation and world better and safer,” said Carpenter.

Officials said the supercomputer has the ability to perform 9 quadrillion calculations per second and is fully equipped to enhance ERDC’s support of the Department of Defense’s (DoD) most demanding computational challenges.