Supercomputers are computers with very high computing capacity. A typical supercomputer has computing speed that is many thousand times faster than the typical personal computers used by individuals in their homes and offices. These super computers are very expensive, costing millions of dollars, because they need to be designed specially and manufactured individually. Personal Computers these days are quite economical because their high volume manufacture results in considerable economy of scale. These economy of scale are not available for manufacture of super computers.
Also super computers are very big in size requiring large facilities for their installation. They use lot of electricity and generate lot of heat. The Super computers installations need special arrangements to disperse this heat. Also super computers need specialized expertise for their operation and control.
All these features make use of super computers very expensive to use as compared to smaller computers, particularly the personal computers. Therefore, use of super computers is justified only for applications where the the combination of complexity of calculation, volume of computing to be done, and speed requirement cannot be handled by smaller computers. There are only limited such applications - for example, space programs, complex geological studies, weather studies and forecasting, and other complex scientific applications.
In summary we can say that super computers are uncommon because they are very expensive and difficult to operate. This extra cost and trouble of using them is justified for only limited applications requiring very high computing capacities and speed.
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