Cray X2
Encyclopedia
The Cray X2 is a vector processing node for the Cray XT5h supercomputer
, developed and sold by Cray Inc.
and launched in 2007.
The X2, developed under the code name Black Widow, was originally expected to be a standalone supercomputer system, superseding the Cray X1
parallel vector supercomputer. However, the X2 was eventually launched as one of the four processor "blade
" options for the XT5h system.
An X2 blade comprises two nodes, each with four symmetric multiprocessing
vector processors and 32 or 64 GB of shared memory. Each node has a peak performance of more than 100 gigaflops. X2 processors are connected using a radix-64 "fat-tree" interconnect implemented by the YARC router ASIC
. X2 blades also link into the XT5h system via its SeaStar2+ processor interconnect.
Up to 256 X2 blades can be installed in an XT5h system. The X2 processor nodes integrate with the Cray XT5h's UNICOS
/lc OS, user environment, and storage subsystem, as part of the Rainier project.
Supercomputer
A supercomputer is a computer at the frontline of current processing capacity, particularly speed of calculation.Supercomputers are used for highly calculation-intensive tasks such as problems including quantum physics, weather forecasting, climate research, molecular modeling A supercomputer is a...
, developed and sold by Cray Inc.
Cray
Cray Inc. is an American supercomputer manufacturer based in Seattle, Washington. The company's predecessor, Cray Research, Inc. , was founded in 1972 by computer designer Seymour Cray. Seymour Cray went on to form the spin-off Cray Computer Corporation , in 1989, which went bankrupt in 1995,...
and launched in 2007.
The X2, developed under the code name Black Widow, was originally expected to be a standalone supercomputer system, superseding the Cray X1
Cray X1
The Cray X1 is a non-uniform memory access, vector processor supercomputer manufactured and sold by Cray Inc. since 2003. The X1 is often described as the unification of the Cray T90, Cray SV1, and Cray T3E architectures into a single machine...
parallel vector supercomputer. However, the X2 was eventually launched as one of the four processor "blade
Blade server
A blade server is a stripped down server computer with a modular design optimized to minimize the use of physical space and energy. Whereas a standard rack-mount server can function with a power cord and network cable, blade servers have many components removed to save space, minimize power...
" options for the XT5h system.
An X2 blade comprises two nodes, each with four symmetric multiprocessing
Symmetric multiprocessing
In computing, symmetric multiprocessing involves a multiprocessor computer hardware architecture where two or more identical processors are connected to a single shared main memory and are controlled by a single OS instance. Most common multiprocessor systems today use an SMP architecture...
vector processors and 32 or 64 GB of shared memory. Each node has a peak performance of more than 100 gigaflops. X2 processors are connected using a radix-64 "fat-tree" interconnect implemented by the YARC router ASIC
ASIC
ASIC may refer to:* Application-specific integrated circuit, an integrated circuit developed for a particular use, as opposed to a customised general-purpose device.* ASIC programming language, a dialect of BASIC...
. X2 blades also link into the XT5h system via its SeaStar2+ processor interconnect.
Up to 256 X2 blades can be installed in an XT5h system. The X2 processor nodes integrate with the Cray XT5h's UNICOS
Unicos
UNICOS is the name of a range of Unix-like operating system variants developed by Cray for its supercomputers. UNICOS is the successor of the Cray Operating System . It provides network clustering and source code compatibility layers for some other Unixes. UNICOS was originally introduced in 1985...
/lc OS, user environment, and storage subsystem, as part of the Rainier project.