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CRAY Origin2000 Breaks 128-Processor SMP Scalability Barrierreleased 11.13.97
Contact Information
NCSA Runs Prototype 128-Processor CRAY Origin2000 in Single System Image EnvironmentEAGAN, MN — Silicon Graphics/Cray Research announced today that the CRAY® Origin2000TM supercomputer has broken the SMP scalability barrier with a 128-processor configuration operating in a single system image (SSI) environment at a customer site. This landmark achievement demonstrates the potential of the S2MPTM architecture, the company's leading cc-NUMA implementation for its OriginTM line, to revolutionize scalable application programming and use. By combining the high-bandwidth, low latency CrayLinkTM interconnect technology with the scalable IRIXTM operating environment, Silicon Graphics/Cray has created an architecture with the best features of SMP, MPP and clusters. Silicon Graphics/Cray said it plans to demonstrate a 128-processor CRAY Origin2000 system with integrated graphics capabilities live in its booth (#417) at the Supercomputing '97 (SC97) show next week in San Jose. The recent scalability breakthrough at the customer site was achieved by enabling a 128-processor CRAY Origin2000 supercomputer to operate as a single system on applications run at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The prototype 128 processor CRAY Origin2000 system was installed through Silicon Graphics/Cray's strategic relationship with NCSA. Silicon Graphics/Cray also said it operates a similar configuration at the Cray data center in Eagan. A Beta program for the 128-processor CRAY Origin2000 SSI systems is scheduled for the first half of next year, with general availability to follow. The company said results from early-access sites for 128-processor SSI configurations confirm that the Origin cc-NUMA architecture will scale near linearly in all dimensions in these industry-leading, large configurations. An early adopter of Origin2000 systems, NCSA has installed 512 Origin2000 processors in three configurations, demonstrating the flexible operating environment of the Origin cc-NUMA architecture. The Origin2000 configurations at NCSA include:
"As a beta site for high-end Origin2000 systems, NCSA has been assisting us in fine-tuning these systems and testing particular hardware and software components required for high-end scalability in a demanding and dynamic environment," said Dan Hogberg, head of marketing for technical computing at Silicon Graphics/Cray Research. "With NCSA's help, we have demonstrated the scalability of our S2MP architecture on a prototype 128-processor system. The architecture is delivering on its promise, enabling customers to scale and operate our shared/distributed-memory in a single system environment." Larry Smarr, director of the NCSA, said Silicon Graphics' S2MP architecture is proving to be an ideal architecture for NCSA's operating and performance requirements. "S2MP combines the best of both worlds -- the ease of programming of shared memory and the scalability of massive parallelism. It clearly is the next generation architecture," said Smarr. "In addition, our ability to achieve a single system operating environment across 128 processors clearly demonstrates that the CrayLink and MetaRouter interconnect technologies can create a single, very powerful computer from multiple modules." The prototype 128-processor SSI configuration enables NCSA researchers to address larger-scale and more-complex problems, in particular by combining models previously run in isolation. For example, chemical engineers could combine chemical process simulations with interactive engineering design to optimize the operation of a chemical plant. Similarly, environmental scientists could combine atmospheric and surface water flow models to study their interactions over months or days, and at greater levels of detail. The cc-NUMA Origin server line, scaling from one- to 128-processor configurations, leads the industry in performance, scalability, bandwidth, I/O and cost structure. Over 10,000 systems have been sold since its introduction in October, 1996. Origin systems are available through Silicon Graphics worldwide sales offices and associated resellers. Cray Research is the supercomputing subsidiary of Silicon Graphics, Inc. (NYSE: SGI) and provides the leading supercomputing tools and services to solve customers' most challenging problems. Silicon Graphics, Inc. is a leading supplier of high-performance interactive computing systems. The company offers the broadest range of products in the industry -- from low-end desktop workstations to servers and high-end Cray supercomputers. Silicon Graphics also markets MIPS microprocessor designs, Alias|WavefrontTM entertainment and design software and other software products. The company's key markets include manufacturing, government, science and industries, communications and entertainment sectors. Silicon Graphics and its subsidiaries have offices throughout the world and corporate headquarters in Mountain View, California.
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Silicon Graphics and the Silicon Graphics logo are registered trademarks, and Origin, Origin2000, S2MP, and IRIX are trademarks, of Silicon Graphics, Inc. MIPS is a registered trademark of MIPS Technologies, Inc. Cray is a registered trademark, and CrayLink is a trademark, of Cray Research Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Silicon Graphics, Inc. Alias is a registered trademark, and Alias|Wavefront is a trademark of Alias|Wavefront, a division of Silicon Graphics Limited. All other names mentioned herein are trademarks, registered trademarks or service marks of their respective companies. All Cray Research press materials are available at http://www.cray.com. |
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