CRAY SUPER COMPUTERS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP85B01152R000700910062-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 21, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 26, 2008
• Sequence Number: 62
• Publication Date: January 25, 1983
• Content Type: MEMO

Approved For Release 2008/06/27: CIA-RDP85B01152R000700910062-5
MEMORANDUM FOR : Deputy Director of Science & Technology
Chief, Processing and Analysis
Technology Group
Office of Research and Development
SUBJECT CRAY Super Computers
1. Action_Required - None, information is provided in
anticipation of a briefing by CRAY. Information includes a
brief description of the CRAY and other super computers, a
reminder of DDI and ODP interest in CRAY'S, and, a
description of ORD research with CRAY's.
2.__The_Super_Computer - Most computers today process
information serially -- they perform one operation at a time
on one piece of data at a time. This is appropriate for a
large class of computing problems generally described as
"business applications" which have relatively large amounts
of input and output (text, for example) and relatively
modest amounts of computation per datum. Some scientific
problems, however, are more computationally intensive.
Moreover, they can be described algorithmically in terms of
parallel processing -- e.g., matrix arithmetic. The epitome
of computers designed for such Jobs is the'CRAY, designed by
Seymour Cray. Super-cooled and super-expensive, the CRAY
provides a very fast array processing capability -- one so
fast and powerful that it commonly is fed by several very
large computers which manage the file storage and
housekeeping. Perhaps fifty such computers have been sold.
They are in use by oil companies, NSA, and Los Alamos, among
others.
3. Agency_Interest_in_Super_Computers_ -- At various
times, the Central Intelligence Agency has discussed
acquiring such a capability. at an EXCOM meeting
several years ago, exclaimed its virtues in terms of the
faster turnaround that OD&E engineers could get on their
Approved For Release 2008/06/27: CIA-RDP85B01152R000700910062-5
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 Approved For Release 2008/06/27: CIA-RDP85B0l 152R000700910062-5
SUBJECT: CRAY Super Computers
modelling computations, alternatively, a more complete
exploration of any "option-space" could be thus undertaken.
The DDI has also proclaimed the virtues of a CRAY and ODP
tried to determine the Agency's needs. 0, ODP raised
two issues above and beyond the cost: (i) what additional
skills would they have to acquire for. such an unfamiliar
beast? and, (ii) what software modifications are required to
have computer programs utilize the CRAY potential? There
have been several panels and working groups within the
Agency that have been examining the problems dealing with
the Agency's computational requirements for the future. A
recommendation from one of the panels has been that a
scientific computing environment (e.g., CRAY) IBM 3838,
etc.) will b ed to satisfy the Agency's needs within
this decade
6. The following types of model formulations and their
related intelligence application will be used in this
benchmark study:
simulation models - space decision analysis
reservoir analysis
hydrologic analysis
linear programming. - refinery analysis
network models - transportation analysis
computer graphics - orbital graphics; maps
econometric models Soviet and Common Market
models.
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7. An ORD research report will be prepared at the
completion of the project. It is anticipated that the
report will be completed in the last quarter of 1983. The
report will summarize the performance evaluation tests and
analyze some of the potential benefits and problems.
/s
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 Approved For Release 2008/06/27: CIA-RDP85B0l 152R000700910062-5
fO: (Name,, office symbol, room number,
building, Agency/Post)
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Signature
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REMARKS
This was hand carried by ODP. He said
that the final deadline on it is o Staff from
in the afternoon of Monday, 7 Feb.
DO NOT use this form as a RECORD -of approvals, concurrences, disposals,
clearances, and similar actions
FROM: (Name, org. symbol, Agency/Post)
Approved For Release 2008/06/27: CIA-RDP85B0l 152R000700910062-5
5441=302 OPTIONAL FORM 1 (Rev. 7-76)
Pre&cribed b~yy GSA
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