Cray sets supercomputer standard
By Rex Crum, CBS.MarketWatch.com
Last Update: 12:29 PM ET Nov. 14, 2002
SEATTLE (CBS.MW) -- The fight for the title the world's fastest supercomputer entered a new phase Thursday with the latest product development from Cray.
The company unveiled its new X1 supercomputer, boasting a processing speed of more than 52 trillion calculations, or teraflops, per second.
If the X1 name sounds like one of the early supersonic jets instead of a refrigerator-sized box of processors performing unseen calculations, there's a reason. Cray (CRAY: news, chart, profile) wants to leave no doubt among competitors such as Silicon Graphics (SGI: news, chart, profile), IBM (IBM: news, chart, profile) and Japan's NEC that it has the technology to be the kingpin of the highly complex world of supercomputing.
"Our product roadmap is focused on this commitment," said Jim Rottsolk, Cray's CEO, who also cited the Seattle-based company's work in building a 40-teraflop supercomputer for the Sandia National Laboratories as an example of its standing in the supercomputing marketplace.
Supercomputers are often used by governmental agencies and big corporations to handle large-scale simulations and test products. Until the X1 came along, NEC had the fastest system in the business, doing up to 36 teraflops of processing.
Rottsolk said the X1 will come with an initial $2.5 million price tag, but most of the machines will cost between $5 million and $40 million.
The company expects to begin shipping the X1 by the end of the year.
Shares of Cray rose 12 cents to $7.06 in light trading.
Rex Crum is a reporter for CBS.MarketWatch.com in San Francisco. |
