Apparently-To: dectei-l@ubvm.bitnet
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.dectei-l
Date:         Fri, 2 Oct 1992 10:25:58 PDT
              <DECTEI-L@UBVM.BITNET>
From:         "ELLEN MINTER * 297-2461 * EDUCATION MARKETING"
              <minter@MR4DEC.ENET.DEC.COM>
Subject:      Digital Press Release - DECmpp - fyi 1

                  I N T E R O F F I C E   M E M O R A N D U M

                                        Date:      EDT
                                        From:     Ellen Minter @MRO
                                                  MINTER.ELLEN
                                        Dept:     Education MBU
                                        Tel No:   297-2461

TO:  Remote Addressee                     ( _decwrl::"dectei-l%ubvm.bitnet" )


Subject: Digital Press Release - DECmpp - fyi


    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




                                -more-


    DIGITAL EQUIPMENT TARGETS UNIVERSITY RESEARCHERS
    FOR NEW FAMILY OF MASSIVELY PARALLEL COMPUTERS
     Page 2


    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.



                                 -more-



    DIGITAL EQUIPMENT TARGETS UNIVERSITY RESEARCHERS
    FOR NEW FAMILY OF MASSIVELY PARALLEL COMPUTERS
     Page 3


                    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



                                 -more-


    DIGITAL EQUIPMENT TARGETS UNIVERSITY RESEARCHERS
    FOR NEW FAMILY OF MASSIVELY PARALLEL COMPUTERS
     Page 4



    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