Cray, Seymour R.

Cray, Seymour R.
▪ 1997

      U.S. electronics engineer and computer designer (b. Sept. 28, 1925, Chippewa Falls, Wis.—d. Oct. 5, 1996, Colorado Springs, Colo.), led the design of the world's first transistor-based computer and was recognized as the father of the supercomputer industry. After graduating (1950) from the University of Minnesota, Cray went to work for Engineering Research Associates (ERA), a leading digital computer company. In 1957, when ERA was taken over in a series of corporate mergers, Cray left to help found Control Data Corp., which became a major computer manufacturer. At Control Data he led the design of the CDC 1604, the first commercial computer to replace vacuum tubes with smaller transistors. Cray had purchased the transistors at a local electronics store. Eager to pursue his vision of building the fastest computers in the world, Cray left Control Data in 1972 and founded Cray Research, Inc. His company's first supercomputer, the Cray-1, which came out in 1976, was 10 times faster than any other computer on the market. Ever-faster and more powerful designs followed, including the Cray-2 (1985) and the Cray Y-MP (1988). In 1989 Cray established Cray Computer Corp., which was eventually forced to file for bankruptcy (1995) as advances in technology made it possible for smaller computers to reach the processing speeds of much larger supercomputers. Undaunted, however, Cray opened another company, SRC Computer Inc., in August 1996, only two months before his death as a result of injuries sustained in a car crash.

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▪ American engineer
born Sept. 28, 1925, Chippewa Falls, Wis., U.S.
died Oct. 5, 1996, Colorado Springs, Colo.

      American electronics engineer who was the preeminent designer of the large, high-speed computers known as supercomputers (supercomputer).

      Cray graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1950 with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering. He began his career as a computer scientist working on UNIVAC I, a landmark first-generation electronic digital computer that became the first commercially available computer. In 1957 Cray helped found Control Data Corp., which became a major computer manufacturer. There Cray designed the CDC 6600 and the CDC 7600, large-scale computers notable for their high processing speeds.

      In 1972 Cray left Control Data to found his own firm, Cray Research Inc., with the intention of building the fastest computers in the world. This was largely realized through his innovative design of multiprocessor computers, which allowed simultaneous (parallel) processing. His company's first supercomputer, the Cray-1, which came out in 1976, could perform 240,000,000 calculations per second. It was used for large-scale scientific applications, such as simulating complex physical phenomena, and was sold to government and university laboratories. Further supercomputers followed, each with increased computing speed: the Cray 1-M and the Cray X-MP. Cray resigned as chairman of his growing firm in 1981 and became an independent contractor to the company, designing ever-faster machines at his laboratory in Chippewa Falls. In 1985 the Cray-2 was introduced to the market; this machine, which was cooled by Fluorinert, could perform 1,200,000,000 calculations per second. The Cray Y-MP, introduced in 1988, was capable of 2,670,000,000 calculations per second. In 1989 Cray founded the Cray Computer Corporation. However, as microprocessor technology advanced and the demand for supercomputers fell in the post-Cold War era, Cray Computers filed for bankruptcy in 1995.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Cray, Seymour — ● np. m. ►PERS (1925 1996). Fondateur américain de la société Cray Research Superservers et créateur de ses superordinateurs (il est même considéré comme l inventeur de cette catégorie de machines). En 1976, il conçoit le Cray 1, l ordinateur le… …   Dictionnaire d'informatique francophone

  • Cray, Seymour R(oger) — born Sept. 28, 1925, Chippewa Falls, Wis., U.S. died Oct. 5, 1996, Colorado Springs, Colo. U.S. electronics engineer. He worked in the 1950s on the UNIVAC I, a landmark first generation digital computer, and he led the design of the world s first …   Universalium

  • Cray, Seymour R(oger) — (28 sep. 1925, Chippewa Falls, Wis., EE.UU.–5 oct. 1996, Colorado Springs, Col.). Ingeniero electrónico estadounidense. Trabajó en la década de 1950 en la UNIVAC I, computadora digital de primera generación que marcó un hito, y lideró el diseño… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Seymour Cray — Seymour Roger Cray Born September 28, 1925(1925 09 28) Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, USA …   Wikipedia

  • Cray Computer Corporation — Cray Inc. Unternehmensform Incorporated ISIN …   Deutsch Wikipedia

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  • Seymour Cray — Seymour Roger Cray (* 28. September 1925 in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, USA; † 5. Oktober 1996 in Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA) war Pionier und erster erfolgreicher Architekt für Supercomputer. Er gründete 1972 Cray Research, das erste… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Seymour — Seymour, Edward Seymour, Jane * * * (as used in expressions) Benzer, Seymour Bridges, Robert (Seymour) Cray, Seymour R(oger) Fonda, Jane (Seymour) Hersh, Seymour (Myron) Lipset, Seymour Martin Seymour, Jane Somerset, Edward Seymour, 1 duque de… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Cray — Cray,   Seymour Roger, US amerikanischer Elektroingenieur und Computerkonstrukteur, *Chippewa Falls (Wisc.) 28. 9. 1925, ✝Colorado Springs 5. 10. 1996; Cray gründete 1972 ein eigenes Unternehmen, die Cray Research Inc., mit dem Ziel, den… …   Universal-Lexikon

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