http://www.sgi.com/news/power_onyx.html (Silicon Surf Promotional CD, 01/1995)

Power Onyx

Silicon Graphics Unveils Power Onyx Graphics Supercomputer Based on World's Fastest Supercomputing Microprocessor

New System Combines World's Leading Graphics with World's Leading Supercomputing Performance

On July 26, 1994, Silicon Graphics, Inc. introduced POWER Onyx(tm), a new graphics supercomputer based on the MIPS(r) R8000(tm) RISC processor-the world's fastest supercomputing microprocessor. The new system provides true supercomputing performance coupled with the world's leading graphics capabilities to meet the needs of a diverse and demanding computing community. Silicon Graphics is also expanding its high-end graphics family with an Extreme(tm) Graphics option and a unique feature-known as the Triple Keyboard Option-that allows one system to function as three.

"The POWER Onyx system creates an entirely new paradigm for affordable supercomputing andvisualization," said Mike Ramsay, vice president of Silicon Graphics' Visual Systems Group. "Silicon Graphics' visualization leadership now extends into high-performance supercomputing environments and provides researchers and scientists with an affordable, integrated visual supercomputer."

Power Onyx Incorporates MIPS R8000 Processor, Supercomputing Performance

The POWER Onyx graphics supercomputer is based on the 64-bit MIPS RISC R8000 microprocessor which provides floating point computational performance roughly equivalent to a Cray Y-MP(tm) processor. Offering a record-setting SPECfp92 of 310, the R8000 microprocessor is the first superscalar implementation of the MIPS architecture. The R8000 CPU is designed for symmetric multiprocessing so that multiple processors can be closely coupled within the same computer-providing customers with superior performance on applications traditionally solved by large, expensive supercomputers.

New System Targets Diverse Industries With Supercomputing Performance and World's Fastest Graphics The POWER Onyx graphics supercomputer combines this supercomputing performance with Silicon Graphics' renowned high-end graphics capabilities and targets customers in a variety of industries such as computational chemistry, oil & gas research, molecular modeling, global weather modeling, structural dynamics, fluid dynamics, image processing and animation.

Like the flagship Onyx(tm) system, the POWER Onyx system is offered with Silicon Graphics' RealityEngine2(tm) graphics subsystems to provide customers with the world's fastest interactive and high-end three dimensional design and real-time capabilities. Based on a scalable and expandable graphics architecture, RealityEngine2 graphics subsystems contain 1.2 gigaflops of floating point processing power dedicated solely to performing geometric transformations. In addition to its advanced texturing and anti-aliasing capabilities, RealityEngine2 graphics subsystems set new standards for image quality and offer unprecedented performance and realism for complex 3D environments.

Extreme Graphics Option Now Offered on Power Onyx and Onyx

In addition to its RealityEngine2 graphics subsystems, Silicon Graphics will now provide an Extreme Graphics option for its POWER Onyx and Onyx product line. As the low-cost entry point into the POWER Onyx and Onyx family, Extreme Graphics provides fast, interactive 3D graphics and is based on a single graphics board design delivering 600K triangle mesh/second and features a 24-bit hardware Z buffer, 24-bit color, advanced lighting models, point/line, anti- aliasing, atmospheric effects and software texture mapping.

Onyx Extends Capabilities with Triple Keyboard Option (TKO)

With the new Triple Keyboard Option (TKO), Silicon Graphics allows Onyx customers to support up to three graphics users on one workstation. Designed to increase productivity and maximize workstation resources, the TKO allows three separate graphics users, with individual keyboards, monitors and mice, to share a single Onyx system. This option combines processing, memory and disk resources, while simplifying administration, networking and maintenance functions.

New or existing Onyx systems can be upgraded to support this multiple-user configuration. The TKO requires a Rack Onyx workstation with two or three RealityEngine2 subsystems, one POWERChannel-2 I/O subsystem per user, additional monitors, and a TKO upgrade kit which includes additional keyboards, 75 foot monitor and keyboard cable extensions, I/O panel circuitry and multiuser software.

Power Onyx Runs IRIX 6.0--NEW 64-BIT OPERATING SYSTEM

POWER Onyx systems run the IRIX(tm) 6.0 operating system, Silicon Graphics' enhanced 64-bit version of the System V Release 4 (SVR4) UNIX(r) operating system. IRIX 6.0 takes advantage of a multi-threaded symmetric multiprocessing architecture and offers advanced capabilities to handle floating point intensive applications. Included are the new MIPSpro(tm) compilers, a complete family of optimizing 64-bit compilers providing support for Fortran77, C and C++. POWER Onyx also is augmented by a variety of graphics libraries and development environments.

Silicon Graphics will also offer a single processor version of the POWER Onyx system in a compact deskside enclosure. The Single Processor POWER Onyx system is the world's fastest uniprocessor graphics workstation, delivering up to 300 peak MFLOPS. This system can be easily upgraded to a dual-processor configuration via a simple CPU board swap and is available with Extreme Graphics and RealityEngine2 options.

In addition to a single processor version of the POWER Onyx system, a large rack chassis enclosure which supports from two to 12 processors and delivers up to 3.6 gigaflops of peak performance is available. The POWER Onyx system will be available in August with uniprocessor or 12-processor configurations.

View the Onyx Product Guide

Silicon Graphics, Inc. is the leading manufacturer of high-performance visual computing systems. The company delivers interactive three-dimensional graphics, digital media and multiprocessing supercomputing technologies to technical, scientific and creative professionals. Its subsidiary, MIPS Technologies, Inc., designs and licenses the industry's leading RISC processor technology for the computer systems and embedded control markets. Silicon Graphics has offices worldwide and headquarters in Mountain View, California.