Editing Cray-1 (section)

{{short description|Supercomputer manufactured by Cray Research}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2015}}
{{Infobox supercomputer
| name         = Cray-1
| image        = Science Museum 20180227 132902 (49362732462).jpg
| caption      = A Cray-1 on display at the [[Science Museum (London)|Science Museum]] in London
| manufacturer = [[Cray Research]]
| designer     = [[Seymour Cray]]
| release date = 1975
| units sold   = Over 100
| price        = US$7.9 million in 1977 (equivalent to ${{Inflation|US|7.9|1977|r=1}}&nbsp;million in {{Inflation/year|US}})
| dimensions   = Height: {{convert|196|cm|in|abbr=on}}<ref name="cray1hw"/><br/>Dia. (base): {{convert|263|cm|in|abbr=on}}<ref name="cray1hw"/><br/>Dia. (columns): {{convert|145|cm|in|abbr=on}}<ref name="cray1hw"/>
| weight       = 5.5 [[ton]]s (Cray-1A)
| power        = 115 [[Kilowatt|kW]]
| voltage      = 208 V 400 Hz<ref name="cray1hw"/>
| front-end    = [[Data General Eclipse]]
| os           = [[Cray Operating System|COS]] & [[UNICOS]]
| cpu          = [[64-bit]] processor
| frequency    = 80&nbsp;MHz<ref name="cray1hw">[http://bitsavers.trailing-edge.com/pdf/cray/CRAY-1/2240004C_CRAY-1_Hardware_Reference_Nov77.pdf Cray-1 Computer System Hardware Reference Manual 2240004, Rev C], Publication: 1977 November 4, Cray Research, Inc.</ref>
| memory       = 8.39 [[Megabytes]] (up to 1 048 576 words)<ref name="cray1hw"/>
| storage      = 303 [[Megabytes]] (DD19 Unit)<ref name="cray1hw"/>
| mips         =
| flops        = 160 MFLOPS
| successor    = [[Cray X-MP]]
| predecessor  =
}}
[[File:Cray-1_large_view.png|thumb|3D rendering of a Cray-1 with two figures as scale]]
The '''Cray-1''' was a [[supercomputer]] designed, manufactured and marketed by [[Cray Research]]. Announced in 1975, the first Cray-1 system was installed at [[Los Alamos National Laboratory]] in 1976. Eventually, eighty Cray-1s were sold, making it one of the most successful supercomputers in history. It is perhaps best known for its unique shape, a relatively small C-shaped cabinet with a ring of benches around the outside covering the power supplies and the cooling system.

The Cray-1 was the first supercomputer to successfully implement the [[vector processor]] design. These systems improve the performance of math operations by arranging memory and [[processor register|registers]] to quickly perform a single operation on a large set of data. Previous systems like the [[CDC STAR-100]] and [[TI Advanced Scientific Computer|ASC]] had implemented these concepts but did so in a way that seriously limited their performance. The Cray-1 addressed these problems and produced a machine that ran several times faster than any similar design.

The Cray-1's architect was [[Seymour Cray]]; the chief engineer was Cray Research co-founder Lester Davis.<ref>C.J. Murray, [http://www.designnews.com/article/14035-The_ultimate_team_player.php "The ultimate team player,"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081028141738/http://www.designnews.com/article/14035-The_ultimate_team_player.php |date=October 28, 2008}} ''[[Design News]]'', March 6, 1995.</ref> They would go on to design several new machines using the same basic concepts, and retained the performance crown into the 1990s.

[[File:Cray-1 scaling.png|thumb|right|400px|2-views drawing of a Cray-1 with scaling]]