grchelp2018 t1_ixv09vz wrote
Reply to comment by WhyCloseTheCurtain in 'Great observatories' – the next generation of NASA’s space telescopes, and their impact on the next century of observational astronomy by burtzev
This only works for computation that can be easily parallelised. We still build supercomputers that cost 100s of millions of dollars.
When it comes to things like the JWST, a large amount of cost is in the r&d, making sure that it works reliably in space etc. It wouldn't cost the same amount to build another one now though it would still be expensive. For chips, you have high demand to amortise the costs.
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