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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.
Several notable technical, economic, and political attributes characterize minisupercomputers. First, they were architecturally more diverse than prior mainframes and minicomputers in hardware and less diverse in software. Second, advances in VLSI made them less expensive (mini-price). These machines were market targeted to be cost-effective and quickly manufactured. Third, it is notable who did not manufacture minisupercomputers: within the USA, IBM and the traditional mainframe makers, outside the USA: the Japanese supercomputer vendors and Russia (despite attempts to manufacture minicomputers).
The appearance of even lower-priced scientific workstations (e.g., Dana Computer/Ardent Computer/Stellar Computer (the merger of these companies)) based on microprocessors with high performance floating point units (FPUs) during the 1990s (such as the MIPS R8000, IBM POWER2), and Weitek eroded the demand for this class of computer.
The industry magazine Datamation coined the term "Crayette" which in short order meant instruction set compatible to Cray Research, Inc.
Minisupercomputers constituted a short-lived class of computers that emerged in the mid-1980s, characterized by the combination of vector processing and...
near New Haven, Connecticut, USA, was a manufacturer and seller of minisupercomputer hardware and software embodying the VLIW design style. Multiflow,...
the free dictionary. XMS may refer to: Cray XMS, a vector processor minisupercomputer eBuddy XMS, instant-messaging service ISO 639:xms, Moroccan Sign Language...
MasPar Computer Corporation was a minisupercomputer vendor that was founded in 1987 by Jeff Kalb. The company was based in Sunnyvale, California. While...
distributors and manufacturing service providers. Vitesse developed a minisupercomputer intended for the scientific market and employing the company's GaAs...
ex-Hewlett-Packard project manager, with the aim of designing and selling low-cost minisupercomputers compatible with those from Cray Research. Its first product was the...
processing big data with high precission. Mainframe computer Supercomputer Minisupercomputer Workstation Minicomputer Superminicomputer This is a very broad categorization...
was a Beaverton, Oregon vendor of attached array processors and minisupercomputers. The company was founded in 1970 by former Tektronix engineer Norm...
countries". New vendors introduced small supercomputers, known as minisupercomputers (as opposed to superminis) during the late 1980s and early 1990s,...
the market for minicomputers (led by Seymor Cray—daisy chaining his minisupercomputers) became much larger than the market for mainframes. Personal computers...
The Cray XMS was a vector processor minisupercomputer sold by Cray Research from 1990 to 1991. The XMS was originally designed by Supertek Computers Inc...
Machines that addressed this market segment later became known as minisupercomputers. At the time there was a huge gap on the price/performance curve as...
Gary R. Besk, David W. L. Yen and Thomas L. Anderson, "The Cydra 5 Minisupercomputer: Architecture and Implementation", The Journal of Supercomputing,...
shown by the Japanese supercomputer vendors as well as the newer minisupercomputer makers and competition at Cray Research. In general, computer hardware...
Corporation was a company that developed, manufactured and marketed vector minisupercomputers and supercomputers for small-to-medium-sized businesses. Their later...
Celerity Computing, Inc., was a publicly traded vendor of Unix-based minisupercomputers based in San Diego, California. Celerity Computing was founded in...
on the Amiga 2000 Alliant ported X11/NeWS on their Visualization minisupercomputers University of Michigan ported it on Apollo workstations, in monochrome...
add-on array processors for minicomputers, later building their own minisupercomputers. Throughout, Cray continued to be the performance leader, continually...
supercomputer vendors such as NEC, or at Cray Research and the newer minisupercomputer makers. In general, computer hardware manufacturers prior and up to...
and John Ruttenberg. Multiflow produced the TRACE series of VLIW minisupercomputers, shipping their first machines in 1987. Multiflow's VLIW could issue...
Cray Research in 1993. The EL90 series evolved from the Cray Y-MP EL minisupercomputer, and is compatible with Y-MP software, running the same UNICOS operating...
sold by Cray Research in 1994. The J90 evolved from the Cray Y-MP EL minisupercomputer, and is compatible with Y-MP software, running the same UNICOS operating...
Structural Analysis Problems on a Parallel Computer. Structural Dynamic Analysis on a Parallel Computer: The Finite Element Machine Minisupercomputer...
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