Seymour Cray, computer industry pioneer and father of the supercomputer, dies at 71

Article Abstract:

Seymour R. Cray, who developed the first transistorized computer and the world's first supercomputers, died on Oct 5, 1996, from head injuries received in an automobile accident. He is most noted for his early work on the Control Data 6600, 7600 and Cray 1 supercomputers. Cray's singular focus was to increase the performance of every system he designed. He was always on technology's cutting edge and had a dramatic influence on the computer industry. He founded Cray Research in 1972, which became the world's leading supercomputer vendor. He left Cray Research in 1989 and subsequently formed Cray Computer Corp, a venture that ended in bankruptcy in 1995. Cray announced the formation of a new company, SRC Computers, in Aug 1996, and planned to develop the Cray 5 supercomputer. Cray's most significant contribution to computing was vector processing, but he was also known for developing a component packaging technique that reduced the time required for electrical signals to travel between circuits.

Computers & Auxiliary Equip, Obituary, Officials and employees, Computer industry, Cray, Seymour R.

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Military gets main use of big computers; U.S. civilian scientists face bitter competition

Article Abstract:

Civilian scientists say they are having to compete with military researchers and one another for the use of supercomputers, because the Federal Government is rapidly shifting its investment shift to weapons research. This development is impacting disciplines such as meteorology, cosmology, astrophysics and complex chemistry, which require supercomputers' help to produce adequate solutions. The Government underwrites about 19% of US-built supercomputers annually, as well as all top-end machines that offer new innovations in speed and power. Both civilian and military scientists shared roughly the same supercomputer access time since the cold war, but the Government is changing the research time. The military, which gained a 2-to-1 ratio in 1996, will own a 5-to-1 margin in 1999.

Digital Computers, Super, Industrial research, Supercomputers, Access control, Supercomputer, Military application, Military computer systems, Government systems management, Government computer systems, Research and Development

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