Computing systems are becoming increasingly data-intensive because of the explosion of data and the needs for processing the data, and subsequently storage management is critical to application performance in such data-intensive computing systems. However, if existing resource management frameworks in these systems lack the support for storage management, this would cause unpredictable performance degradation when applications are under input/output (I/O) contention. Storage management of data-intensive systems is a challenge. Big Data plays a most major role in storage systems for data-intensive computing. This article deals with these difficulties along with discussion of High Performance Computing (HPC) systems, background for storage systems for data-intensive applications, storage patterns and storage mechanisms for Big Data, the Top 10 Cloud Storage Systems for data-intensive computing in today's world, and the interface between Big Data Intensive Storage and Cloud/Fog Computing. Big Data storage and its server statistics and usage distributions for the Top 500 Supercomputers in the world are also presented graphically and discussed as data-intensive storage components that can be interfaced with Fog-to-cloud interactions and enabling protocols.

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The author leaves a rural clinic in Fort Morgan, CO, to briefly join a medical relief team responding to the Haitian January 2010 earthquake. While transporting an ill newborn, he reflects on similarities between the Haitians' displacement and resulting vulnerability and that of his patients back home. (J Am Board Fam Med 2011;24:323-325.) "Jeff! Jeff! Get up!" Elias' headlamp pierces the thin tent and catches me in the eyes, blinding me. "There's a sick baby at the hospital they want to transport…they need someone to go."

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This chapter begins with the definition of supercomputers and shifts to how the supercomputers have evolved since the 1930s. Supercomputing need is stressed, including issues in time and cost of resources currently faced by the researchers. The chapter transitions to an overview of the supercomputing era with a small biography of Seymour Cray. The timeline of Cray's history and various Cray inventions are discussed. The works of Fujitsu, Hitachi, Intel, and NEC are clearly demonstrated. A section on Beowulfs and S1 supercomputers is provided. A discussion on applications of supercomputing in healthcare and how Dell is emerging in its supercomputing abilities in 21st century are cohesively explained. The focus is shifted to the petaflop computing in the 21st century, current trends in supercomputing, and the future of supercomputing. The details of some of the global supercomputing centers in the Top500 list of fastest supercomputers in the world are also provided.