Newsgroups: comp.parallel
From: mllombard@aol.com (MLLombard)
Subject: Re: SIMD Hardware Vendors
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)
Date: 14 Apr 1995 19:32:52 -0400
Message-ID: <3n36sj$jrq@usenet.srv.cis.pitt.edu>

Advanced Computer Research Institute, Lyon France.  Thought to be
working on a SIMD machine, but they are very closed-mouthed about what
they are really doing.

Anritsu, Tokyo.  While I think the Anritsu machine is MIMD, they are
one of the leading manufactures of instrumentation.  With that tie-in,
they could be doing something with signal or even image processing.

Cambridge Parallel Processing, Irvine, CA.  This used to be Active
Memory Technology (AMT), which had its genesis in the DAP (Distributed
Array Processor) machine.  This was the first commercial MPP system
which was developed by ICL in 1976.  The DAP machines are SIMD.

Digital Equipment Corp, Marlboro, MA.  DEC sells both MIMD and SIMD
systems.  The MIMD machine is the Intel Paragon, while the SIMD system
is from MasPar.

Gesellschaft Fur Transputer Technik mbH.  They build a Transputer-based
board level product.  I don=92t know if it qualifies as a SIMD machine.

Kuck & Associates, Champlaign, IL.  While they do not build hardware,
as far as I know, they are known for signal processing libraries for
parallel and vector machines.

Loral Defense Systems, Akron, OH.  LDS have developed a SIMD system
called ASPRO.  They have been in the parallel computer business for
over 25 years.  They are credited with the first MPP SIMD system,
built in the early 1980=92s.  The ASPRO sounds like an interesting
system.  It is available in both ruggedized and full MIL-spec versions.

MasPar.  You know about.

Matsushita Electric, Osaka, Japan.  I do not know if the ADENART is
SIMD or not.  It is based on up to 1,024 64-bit LSI processors.  From
that description, I doubt it, but I will include them anyway. 

Mitsubishi Electric, Tokyo, Japan.  They have a SIMD system using a 
maximum of 4,094 8-bit PE=92s.  It is a graphics processing system.

Thinking Machine Corp. Cambridge, MA.  The CM-1, introduced in 1987
was SIMD.  Its follow-on product is a MIMD system.

Wavetracer, Inc.  Action MA.  These folks built two SIMD machines.
The high-end machine, called DTC (Data Transport Computer) was
available with 4,096, 8,192, or 16,385 processors.  The other, a
desk-side machine, called Zepher was available with either 4,096 or
8,192 processors, and sold for only $75,000.  The company did some
nifty things in the areas of acoustics, electromagnetics, finite
element analysis, and fluid dynamics.

I don=92t know if they are still building hardware.

While I have not read that is of their own manufacture, Mercedes Benz
are working with SIMD machines and pattern recognition.  They expect
to introduce a near driverless vehicle, based on SIMD technology, and
have the price of the option down to about $1,000 by the 2,000 model
year.

Having worked with computers for a long time, I think I will still
drive my car myself, thank you.

The above information was culled from a number of sources, none of
which (except for the comment of MB) is more recent than March 1993!
There have got to have been more work done since then.

Hope the above is helpful.

