Vector supercomputers

computer processor which works on arrays of several numbers at once

thumb|3D rendering of a Cray-1 with two figures as scale The Cray-1 was a supercomputer designed, manufactured and marketed by Cray Research. Announced in 1975, the first Cray-1 system was installed at Los Alamos National Laboratory in 1976. Eventually, eighty Cray-1s were sold, making it one of the most successful supercomputers in history. It is perhaps best known for its unique shape, a relatively small C-shaped cabinet with a ring of benches around the outside covering the power supplies and the cooling system.

highly parallel vector supercomputer system for running global climate models

thumb|A Cray-2, serial number 2101 and its Fluorinert-cooling "waterfall", formerly of [[NERSC, the only 8-processor example ever made]] thumb|A Cray-2 operated by NASA thumb|Front view of 1985 Supercomputer Cray-2, [[Musée des Arts et Métiers, Paris]] thumb|Side view of 1985 Supercomputer Cray-2, [[Musée des Arts et Métiers, Paris]] thumb|Detail of the upper part of the Cray-2 thumb|Inside of the Cray-2

type of supercomputer designed, manufactured and marketed by Cray Research

Minisupercomputers constituted a short-lived class of computers that emerged in the mid-1980s, characterized by the combination of vector processing and small-scale multiprocessing. As scientific computing using vector processors became more popular, the need for lower-cost systems that might be used at the departmental level instead of the corporate level created an opportunity for new computer vendors to enter the market. As a generalization, the price targets for these smaller computers were one-tenth of the larger supercomputers.

supercomputer

supercomputer built by NEC Corporation

thumb|right| Seymour Cray stands behind a Cray-3 processor tank. The CPU occupies only the top of the tank, the rest contains memory and power supplies.

company that produced a number of vector supercomputers

1993 supercomputer by Fujitsu and NAL

The ETA10 is a vector supercomputer designed, manufactured, and marketed by ETA Systems, a spin-off division of Control Data Corporation (CDC). The ETA10 was an evolution of the CDC Cyber 205, which can trace its origins back to the CDC STAR-100, one of the first vector supercomputers to be developed.

supercomputer

Cray J90 vector minisupercomputer

Series of high-end 1980s IBM mainframe computers

vector supercomputer