Cray sells the first Cray X-MP supercomputer
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1st April 1982 The Cray X-MP was a supercomputer designed by Cray Research, the successor to the 1976 Cray-1. It was the first computer to provide parallel vector processors operating simultaneously on shared memory. From 1983 to 1985 the Cray X-MP was fastest supercomputer in the world. Visually, the Cray X-MP appeared very similar to the earlier Cray-1. It was much faster, however, with the original two-processor Cray X-MP delivering 400 megaflops. On the 1st April 1982, the "Cray Channels" quarterly marketing publication (Volume 4 Number 2) reported that the film company Digital Productions had placed Cray’s first order for the Cray X-MP. Digital Productions used the Cray X-MP to create its film "The Last Starfighter", one of the first films to use computer-generated graphics. A Cray X-MP was also used to render the short film "The Adventures of André and Wally B" by the Lucasfilm Computer Graphics Project, which evolved into Pixar Animation Studios. In 1984, Cray announced improved X-MP systems, with one, two, and four processor models. The top-end X-MP/48 contained four CPUs and delivered over 800 megaflops. Related information:
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