Welcome to the Cray History site where the entire timeline of supercomputers that carried the Cray name are represented.
From Cray-1 to Cray-T3E and beyond, the complex history of these premier supercomputers is explored. Join in and contribute to the archive with recollections, photographs and information.
** Big thanks to Jim Masocco for his recollection of Seymour Cray Stories, Â Interview film with Seymour Cray and other contributions to this site.
Help us build out this historical archive with corrections, photos, documents and contributions. Â Â Contact us here.
Know of any Cray Supercomputer systems ? Check and correct the Historical Systems and Customer Locations Listings.
Go see a Historic Cray system on display at one of these locations.
Computer Conservation Society Filmshow 2023 – This year’s show concentrated on material about supercomputers built by Cray Research. From the classic C shaped Cray-1, through generations of systems, we saw and heard about the technology, applications and people involved with the world’s most powerful computers. Featuring a recently re-discovered interview with founder Seymour Cray and animations from real life applications. This playlist has the separate videos and the full recording.
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What was it like building early Cray systems ?Â
Read this personal account by Sonja Gardener of her time assembling early Cray supercomputer systems.
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![Illustration 21: On-site XMP Module tester](https://i0.wp.com/cray-history.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Cray-CS-WEB_21_smpmodtest.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1)
What was it like servicing and repairing complex Cray systems ?Â
Read this personal account by Charlie Clark of his time as field engineering manager at Cray .
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Early in March 2023 had a couple of days at the Computer Museum of America in Atlanta. Took the opportunity to wander round and make some mini-videos of some of the Cray Supercomputer exhibits. See the collection here.
Thanks to Lonnie and David Laufer Creative director at CMoA for the titles and opportunity.
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The information on this site has been derived from multiple sources including personal recollections and collections.
Contact Us with contributions/ corrections/ submissions/ questions/ stories/ photos.
Pages
Posts
Cray-1
- About the Musée Bolo
- At the controls – Mostly Supercomputers
- Cray-1 Simulators via HASE and Electronics
- Fifty years of Cray supercomputers in 2022
- Influence from the stars on supercomputer memories first discovered in Cray-1 SN1.
- Interesting TV Program from 1987 – Cray-2 Cray-1 and Cray XMP can be seen in working environments
- Serial Number 1
- SN13 Recollections By Charles Clark
- Sonja’s Story about Cray-1 fabrication and assembly
- The Supermen by Charles J. Murray
Cray-2
Cray FAQ
Cray Machine Families
- About The Chippewa Falls museum of Industry and Technology with Serial Number 1 and Serial Number 101
- About the Computer Museum of America CMoA
- About the HNM Heinz Nixdorf MuseumForum in Paderborn
- About the Musée Bolo
- Advanced systems magazine “Vector Monster” review of Cray EL-94
- Apple Computer and Cray Research – some notes
- Archer 2 now fastest computer in Europe at EPCC
- At the controls – Mostly Supercomputers
- Cray and Other Timeline documents
- Cray Customer Service – Memories (1979 to 2014) by Charles Clark
- Cray Module Pictures
- Cray Research systems install base in the ’90s
- Cray Supercomputers at VTKK / CSC in Finland
- Cray System Installation photos
- Cray X1 Cpu module Teardown
- Cray YMP-EL an overview article.
- Cray YMP-EL boot up sequence and annotated configuration files
- Cray-1 Simulators via HASE and Electronics
- Cray-2 Diagnostic and indicator lights
- Cray-2 Memories
- Cray-2s at the NSA
- Customer System books
- Delayed delivery obsoleted a Cray XMP-EA SN1205 before delivery.
- EL and C90 Poster Centerfolds
- Fifty years of Cray supercomputers in 2022
- Florida State University replace ETA-10 with Cray YMP from 1991 by Jeff Bauer
- High Performance Computing Workshop “Performance Programming on the Cray YMP-EL”Â
- How the Sun Enterprise 10000 was born from the Cray CS6400
- Influence from the stars on supercomputer memories first discovered in Cray-1 SN1.
- Inside the Cray T3e/900 SN6702
- Interesting TV Program from 1987 – Cray-2 Cray-1 and Cray XMP can be seen in working environments
- Jim Masocco recalls Cray Research and Cray Inc Stories
- Jim Masocco recalls Seymour Cray Stories – With Interview
- Links to Videos of Interest
- NCAR / UCAR a research site with a long association with Cray supercomputers.
- ORNL Run Frontier at an Exascale with 52 GFlops a watt.
- Serial Number 1
- SN13 Recollections By Charles Clark
- Sonja’s Story about Cray-1 fabrication and assembly
- Supercomputers going cheep ( too cheep ? ) 1997
- System flash card collection From Barb Jorgensen Smith
- T90 & C90 mini movies and T3D videos
- The Supermen by Charles J. Murray
- World Land Speed record and Cray Research
Cray Channels
Cray XMP
- About the Musée Bolo
- Apple Computer and Cray Research – some notes
- At the controls – Mostly Supercomputers
- Cray Supercomputers at VTKK / CSC in Finland
- Delayed delivery obsoleted a Cray XMP-EA SN1205 before delivery.
- Interesting TV Program from 1987 – Cray-2 Cray-1 and Cray XMP can be seen in working environments
- Jim Masocco recalls Seymour Cray Stories – With Interview
Cray YMP Model D
Museums
- About The Chippewa Falls museum of Industry and Technology with Serial Number 1 and Serial Number 101
- About the Computer Museum of America CMoA
- About the HNM Heinz Nixdorf MuseumForum in Paderborn
- About the Living Computers Museum – Photos
- About the Musée Bolo
- Cray Mug shots
- Fifty years of Cray supercomputers in 2022
- Links to Videos of Interest
- Memorabilia Catalogs and Collections
- NCAR / UCAR a research site with a long association with Cray supercomputers.
- Serial Number 1
Software
Cray YMP Model E
Cray-history-buckets
Site Assets
Videos
Cray EL
- Advanced systems magazine “Vector Monster” review of Cray EL-94
- Apple Computer and Cray Research – some notes
- Cray YMP-EL an overview article.
- Cray YMP-EL boot up sequence and annotated configuration files
- EL and C90 Poster Centerfolds
- Fifty years of Cray supercomputers in 2022
- High Performance Computing Workshop “Performance Programming on the Cray YMP-EL”Â
Cray C90
Support And Service
- At the controls – Mostly Supercomputers
- Cray Customer Service – Memories (1979 to 2014) by Charles Clark
- Cray Research systems install base in the ’90s
- Cray System Installation photos
- Cray System Service snapshots 1989 and 1996 with remote support information.
- Cray Systems for Customers – Extracts from Cray Channels
- Cray-2 Diagnostic and indicator lights
- Customer System books
- Jim Masocco recalls Cray Research and Cray Inc Stories
- Jim Masocco recalls Seymour Cray Stories – With Interview
- SN13 Recollections By Charles Clark
- Static can kill delicate electronics
Cray X1
Cray EX
Books Articles etc
- “Cray at Chippewa Falls” Photo Book by Lee Friedlander
- “Cray systems” in popular culture
- Advanced systems magazine “Vector Monster” review of Cray EL-94
- CASH-STARVED CRAY COMPUTER CLOSES, SEEKS CHAPTER 11 – March 27th 1995
- Cray and Other Timeline documents
- Cray Floating point numbers
- Delayed delivery obsoleted a Cray XMP-EA SN1205 before delivery.
- Encyclopedia of Parallel Computing (index)
- Excellent write up on Cray Corporate history
- Fifty years of Cray supercomputers in 2022
- Florida State University replace ETA-10 with Cray YMP from 1991 by Jeff Bauer
- Frontiers of Supercomputing II
- High Performance Computing Workshop “Performance Programming on the Cray YMP-EL”Â
- Influence from the stars on supercomputer memories first discovered in Cray-1 SN1.
- Internal CPU connection network pictures
- Jim Masocco recalls Seymour Cray Stories – With Interview
- Les Davis (1930 — 2023)
- Past, Present, Parallel : A survey of Available Parallel computing systems
- Static can kill delicate electronics
- Supercomputers going cheep ( too cheep ? ) 1997
- The Supermen by Charles J. Murray
- Unmatched : 50 years of Supercomputing by David Barkai