HP Is Building A Supercomputer To Challenge IBM's Watson

Justin Sullivan/Getty ImagesHP is stepping up its game against rival IBM

HP is pushing back against rival IBM with the launch of two supercomputers meant to rival IBM's Watson, which became famous on the TV show "Jeopardy!"

The Watson wannabes will be marketed under the Apollo brand name.

The Apollo 6000 is designed to appeal to enterprise clients looking for supercomputer power without the same-size energy footprint.

The Apollo 8000 is meant to compete with IBM on the high end of the market, where supercomputers can cost millions, according to The Wall Street Journal. It's also cooled with water.

In the broader high-end computer market, HP actually trumps IBM, with 32.3% and 27.7% of the market share last year, respectively.

Because of their high cost, supercomputers like Apollo and Watson are used primarily by government agencies.

While HP still competes in the low-end market, IBM has shifted its focus away from the low end. The company sold its low-end server business to Lenovo for $2.3 billion in cash and stock last January.