From: price@mrktng.enet.dec.com ("Dave Price, UNIX Press Relations  01-Oct-1992 1446")
Subject: DECnews/Digital Targets University Researchers
Date: Thu, 1 Oct 92 11:54:21 PDT
X-Received: by usenet.pa.dec.com; id AA01676; Thu, 1 Oct 92 12:31:41 -0700
X-Received: by enet-gw.pa.dec.com; id AA09507; Thu, 1 Oct 92 11:47:39 -0700
X-Received: from mrktng.enet; by decwrl.enet; Thu, 1 Oct 92 11:54:21 PDT
X-To: mail11:;@enet-gw.pa.dec.com (@decnewslist)
X-Apparently-To: distribution:;@enet-gw.pa.dec.com (see end of body)

||||||||||||  DEC n e w s  ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
                                              Digital Equipment Corporation
                                          Maynard, Massachusetts 01754-2571
Editorial contact:

    Joseph D. Codispoti
    DIGITAL EQUIPMENT CORPORATION
    508-493-6767
    
    Cynthia Lempert
    HILL & KNOWLTON
    617-894-3100
    
    
    
    
           DIGITAL EQUIPMENT TARGETS UNIVERSITY RESEARCHERS
    
            FOR NEW FAMILY OF MASSIVELY PARALLEL COMPUTERS
    
    
        .....Looks to Spur Continued Software Development.....
    
    
    
    MAYNARD, Mass.-- September 29, 1992 -- Digital Equipment 
    
    Corporation will target a new member of its DECmpp 12000 Series
    
    Systems of massively parallel computers, introduced today, to 
    
    university researchers. 
    
         The DECmpp 12000/Mx is Digital's first MIMD class 
    
    (multiple-instruction, multiple-data) system and joins its 
    
    current DECmpp 12000/Sx, SIMD class (single-instruction, 
    
    multiple-data), massively parallel computer family.  "With the 
    
    introduction of the DECmpp 12000/Mx, Digital becomes one of the 
    
    few companies that offers both MIMD and SIMD massively parallel 
    
    systems," said Charles Wilson, director of Digital's Massively 
    
    Parallel Systems Group. 
    
         "We believe the MIMD style will benefit significantly from 
    
    new software development.  And so we're making Digital's first 
    
    MIMD computer available to the people who are best positioned to 
    
    explore new applications -- the college and university labs. 
    
         "Many of our research customers have plans to utilize MIMD 
    
    systems for applications involving molecular modeling, fluid 
    
    dynamics and structural dynamics," he added. 
    
         The new DECmpp 12000/Mx is available in two configurations 
    
    with either 16 or 32 Intel i860 processors and 16- or 32- MB of 
    
    memory per processor.  The system operates from 960- to 
    
    1920-MFLOPS (Millions of Floating Point Operations per Second). 
    
    The systems comes complete with a system operators console, a 
    
    1.5GB disk drive, 2.3GB tape drive and a complete suite of 
    
    system and development software.  
    
         List prices range from $630,000 to $1.5 million, and the 
    
    systems are currently available. 
    
         The DECmpp 12000/Mx is based on the iPSC/860 massively 
    
    parallel supercomputer from the Intel Corporation and 
    
    represents the implementation of the first phase of a 
    
    marketing and technology agreement announced by Digital and 
    
    Intel earlier this year.  Plans call for future MIMD systems 
    
    from Digital that will be based on advanced massively parallel 
    
    technology from Intel and marketed more broadly. 
    
    
                    MIMD FOR "SUBTASK" APPLICATIONS
     
         Both SIMD and MIMD computing styles use arrays of multiple 
    
    processors, working in parallel, to solve the problems 
    
    presented to them by user application programs.  Their chief
    
    difference lies in the degree of computing each individual
    
    processor can perform before it needs new direction from the 
    
    application program.     
    
         In a SIMD-style computer, each processor can handle only a
    
    single task at a time (hence the name "single-instruction"); 
    
    in a MIMD-style architecture, each processor can handle many 
    
    subtasks before it passes results back to the application 
    
    program. Because of these differences, SIMD computers typically
    
    employ greater numbers of simpler processors -- in the
    
    thousands or tens of thousands, for instance.  
    
         MIMD computers, on the other hand, use fewer, more 
    
    intelligent processors -- up to several hundred -- to do their 
    
    work.  The greater intelligence of each MIMD processor puts an 
    
    added burden on software written to exploit its potential.
    
    Because of this, development of new programming tools 
    
    and of new user applications programs is a critical need for 
    
    the MIMD market. University researchers will help meet this 
    
    need by developing applications. 
    
         "It's because of this need that we're offering our first 
    
    MIMD systems to university researchers," says Wilson.  "This is 
    
    also the reason that Digital is developing some of its own 
    
    software for example, our Fortran compiler." 
    
         The first DECmpp 12000/Mx system has already been 
    
    installed at Washington University, St. Louis.  It is being 
    
    used for AIDs and Alzheimers research at the university's 
    
    biomedical computing laboratory. 
    
         Digital Equipment Corporation, headquartered in Maynard, 
    
    Massachusetts, is the leading worldwide supplier of networked 
    
    computer systems, software and services.  Digital pioneered and 
    
    leads the industry in interactive, distributed and multivendor 
    
    computing.  Digital and its partners deliver the power to use 
    
    the best integrated solutions -- from desktop to data center -- 
    
    in open information environments.
    
                                  ####
    
    Note to Editors:    DECmpp is a trademark of Digital
                        Equipment Corporation.  iPSC/860 is a 
    			trademark of the Intel Corporation.
    
    
    CORP/92/808
============================================================================
DECnews is sent as a courtesy to members of the press.
For subscription information please contact:
  David Price, USS Press Relations, Digital Equipment Corporation
  Voice:603-884-3467   FAX:603-884-3467   Internet:price@decvax.dec.com
============================================================================





%%% overflow headers %%%
Apparently-To: price@decvax.dec.com, grant, fab@vxcrna.cern.ch,
        julian@vxcrna.cern.ch, biz.dec.usenet, curtiss@umiacs.umd.edu,
        aps@berkeley.edu, sqst@research.novo.dk, coons@osf.org,
        sheroff@osf.org, diane@osf.org, nmehta@us.oracle.com,
        bbaker@oracle.com, del@intranet.com, digital-news@gcg.com,
        decnews@objy.com, se@net.com, @gateway.gtech.com:jsl@soft.gtech.com,
        gladstog@rnisd0.dnet.roche.com, edsche@eds.ericsson.se,
        vd7934@usav01.glaxo.com, clar@frese51.bitnet,
        dec_news_1@eisner.decus.org, d2b@cdfq.ssd.ray.com,
        robert_kelen@corwin.cray.com, dec-pr@cimplex.uucp, ry@ntu.ac.sg,
        tommi@solomon.technet.sg, albert@ee.su.oz.au, fbahg@nuscc.nus.sg,
        cceravi@nuscc.nus.sh, ccehewkm@nuscc.nus.sh, fbamankl@nuscc.nus.sg,
        arnold@eisner.decus.org, decnews@raleng.mtc.com, apc-open@uunet.uu.net,
        uunet!alans@uworld.com, uunet!howardb@uworld.com, releases@seiden.com,
        mjf@expert.com, rhi@rd.r.tvt.se, tst@rd.r.tvt.se,
        rtk%kirhk.dnet@radux.r.tvt.se, laurelnr@utoday.com,
        jason@cs.utexas.edu, paul@utoday.com, faden@utoday.com,
        julie@utoday.com, 76011.1155@compuserve.com, 341-9898@mcimail.com,
        mips@pcinews.lonestar.org, 75410.2343@compuserve.com,
        satnews@cix.compulink.co.uk, xeno@bgroup.chi.il.us,
        ddern@world.std.com, 548-1606@mcimail.com,
        @eddie.mit.edu:digrev!pressrelease@eddie.mit.edu,
        detwiler@detwiler.propress.com, pilla@pilla.propress.com,
        oconnell@oconnell.propress.com, pan@pan.propress.com,
        harrison@harrison.propress.com, birkhead@birkhead.propress.com,
        system@cuhhca.hhmi.columbia.edu, 4031275@mcimail.com,
        macnews@applelink.apple.com, 364-7789@mcimail.com,
        326-8704@mcimail.com, 70007.417@compuserve.com, ben@bytepb.byte.com
%%% end overflow headers %%%
Newsgroups: biz.comp.software