The Venn diagram of computer geeks and noodle lovers overlaps in a delicious way.

The Fugaku supercomputer is the pride of Japan, with about 160,000 CPUs housed in approximately 400 computer racks, lined up in a room about half the size of a soccer field in Kobe Prefecture.

While Fugaku is renowned for its speed and computing power, it’s also a thing of beauty, with carefully bundled cables in varying shades of blue adding an impressive aesthetic component to this feat of engineering.

For most people, the photo above will obviously resemble a bunch of wires, but the way they’re neatly gathered with cable ties will remind foodies of something else entirely: Bundles of dried noodles. In fact, a staff member at Riken, the company that jointly developed Fugaku with Fujitsu, pointed out the noodle resemblance, and that comment gave birth to a new product called “Supercomputer Fugaku Somen“.

Produced in collaboration with online shopping company Felissimo, these noodles received input from Fujitsu and Riken, who helped to oversee the packaging.

▼ 富岳 (“Fugaku”)

The box that houses the noodles resembles a paulownia wood box while also mimicking the racks of the supercomputer. Upon opening the wooden box, you’ll find a glossy paper insert that provides information about Fugaku, and then…

▼ … the supercomputer!

This isn’t the actual supercomputer, of course, but it sure looks like it, as the glossy print is a photo of Fugaku. Nestled in between it all, you’ll find six bundles of “wires” which are actually bundles of sky-blue noodles, held together with black paper resembling cable ties.

Each box contains six bundles of somen, and although the blue might be hard to catch in photos…

▼ …when you pop them in the pot for the recommended two-minute boiling period…

▼ … you’ll defiinitely see that these are blue.

It’s as if the boiling process brings out the blueness of these thin wheat noodles, and after rinsing with cold water, they’re ready to eat.

Served with ice — somen is best eaten chilled — the blue helps to enhance the cooling vibe of this popular summertime dish, making the ice look like glaciers in the ocean.

After dipping the noodles in the broth, the somen tasted surprisingly good, due to the fact that they’re produced by Nara’s famous “Miwa Somen” company. The noodles had a smooth texture but a firm bite and a salty flavour that was deliciously invigorating.

 

The salty flavour was a fun way to make us feel like we might just be licking the metallic workings of the supercomputer, and a good way to help work up an appetite in summer, when appetites tend to be low.

With a luxurious outer box that’s perfect for gift-giving, these noodles will make an impact on anyone who receives them, be they science enthusiasts, computer geeks, or even total luddites.

The Fugaku somen can be purchased at the Felissimo online store, with each box priced at 3,400 yen (US$23.04).

Photos ©SoraNews24
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