The circumference of a circle is endless. So, it appears, is the mathematical constant that expresses the ratio of the circle to its radius: pi.

But Swiss researchers have now calculated pi to a new world-record level of exactitude, hitting 62.8 trillion figures using a supercomputer. 

"The calculation took 108 days and nine hours," the Graubuenden University of Applied Sciences said in a statement. 

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Its efforts were "almost twice as fast as the record Google set using its cloud in 2019 and 3.5 times as fast as the previous world record in 2020," according to the university's Centre for Data Analytics, Visualisation and Simulation. 

Researchers are waiting for the Guinness Book of Records to certify their feat, until then revealing only the final 10 digits they calculated for pi: 7817924264. 

The previous world-record pi calculation had achieved 50 trillion figures. Pi represents the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter, with an infinite number of digits following the decimal point.  

Researchers nevertheless continue to push calculations for the constant – the first 10 figures of which are 3.141592653 – ever further using powerful computers.

For anyone wondering quite what the point of the Swiss scientists' undoubtedly impressive feat is, they have an answer.

They said the experience they built up calculating pi could be applied in other areas such as "RNA analysis, simulations of fluid dynamics and textual analysis."