Welcome to the Cray History site where the entire timeline of supercomputers that bore 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.
*** Moved to new hosting environment 29 Aug 2023 ***
Explore the family tree of Cray systems with specifications, documents and pictures.
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Help us build out this historical archive with corrections, photos, documents and contributions. Contact us here.
Know of any Cray systems ? Check and correct the Cray-1, Cray-2 and XMP customer and locations listings.
Go see a Historic Cray system on display at one of these locations.
Fifty years of Cray supercomputers was celebrated with a virtual tour hosted by TNMOC in UK on 6th April 2022. This virtual talk explored the physical and logical structure of a Cray-1, peaking ‘under the covers’ of these remarkable machines. The talk also illuminates how these machines evolved and samples some of what was achieved using Cray supercomputers in the UK. Recording of talk is here. Print of slides and other updates are posted here.
What was it like building early Cray systems ?
Read this personal account by Sonja Gardener of her time assembling early Cray supercomputer systems.
What was it like servicing and repairing complex Cray systems ?
Read this personal account by Charlie Clark of his time as field engineering manager at Cray .
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.
Research the Cray Channels magazine, the premier source for information about Cray Research systems, customers and applications.
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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
- Cray-1 Simulators via HASE and Electronics
- Fifty years of Cray supercomputers 2022
- Influence from the stars on supercomputer memories first discovered in a 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 FAQ
Cray-2
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
- Cray and Other Timeline documents
- Cray Customer Service – Memories (1979 to 2014) by Charles Clark
- Cray Research systems install base in the ’90s
- 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 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”
- Influence from the stars on supercomputer memories first discovered in a 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
- 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
- T90 & C90 mini movies and T3D videos
- The Supermen by Charles J. Murray
- World Land Speed record and Cray Research
Cray XMP
Cray Channels
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
- Fifty years of Cray supercomputers 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-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 2022
- High Performance Computing Workshop “Performance Programming on the Cray YMP-EL”
Cray C90
Support And Service
- 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
- Lists of Cray publications and Technical manuals
- SN13 Recollections By Charles Clark
- Static can kill delicate electronics
Cray T3E
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 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”
- Influence from the stars on supercomputer memories first discovered in a Cray-1 SN1.
- Internal connection network pictures
- Les Davis
- Lists of Cray publications and Technical manuals
- 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