Final answer:
Modern supercomputers are capable of accessing vast amounts of RAM, exemplified by those at NASA's Ames Research Center. They are essential for processing and analyzing large datasets, marking significant advancements in computational capabilities.
Step-by-step explanation:
The ability to access up to 18 x 1018 Gigabytes (GB) of RAM refers to the capacities of modern supercomputers. These powerful machines, like those at NASA's Ames Research Center, use cutting-edge technology to perform complex tasks such as tracking the motions of over a million objects under their mutual gravitation. Supercomputers are key in handling and analyzing vast amounts of data, exemplified by astronomy's big data challenges, including those from the Sloan Survey, which recorded over 15 terabytes of data.
In contrast, earlier computational power as seen in Pentium chips from a 6-inch wafer, capable of executing over 100 million instructions per second, pales in comparison to the processing capabilities of contemporary supercomputers. The requirements of modern-day data processing and the evolution of computing power highlight the significant advancements in the capability and efficiency of digital computers to manage and sift through large datasets, indicative of our progression into an era of big data.