Comments on: What led to the Fall of SGI? – Chapter 2 http://www.vizworld.com/2009/04/what-led-to-the-fall-of-sgi-chapter-2/ Covering everything about Visualization & Computer Graphics Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:25:00 -0600 hourly 1 By: Ian Farquharhttp://www.vizworld.com/2009/04/what-led-to-the-fall-of-sgi-chapter-2/#comment-20394 Ian Farquhar Thu, 27 Oct 2011 09:12:00 +0000 I totally agree with all of the posters below: CrayLink (aka. developed under the code name "LegoNet" - till the plastic block company found out and got irritated) had nothing to go with Cray.  It was an all-SGI development, with initial research coming out of Stanford.  The decision to call it CrayLink was pure marketing, and really annoyed many of the fine engineers who worked on that technology.One of the things I was told, circa 1998-99, was that SGI had acquired Cray with a "handshake" agreement from certain Cray-purchasing US government customers that a particular level of sales would be maintained.  I was told that the USG failed to comply with that agreement, and denied making it.  This led to a defocusing in the MIPS team on a couple of very specific features (eg. popcount) that those buyers found essential.Can't confirm that last paragraph, but the source was very well placed. I totally agree with all of the posters below: CrayLink (aka. developed under the code name “LegoNet” – till the plastic block company found out and got irritated) had nothing to go with Cray.  It was an all-SGI development, with initial research coming out of Stanford.  The decision to call it CrayLink was pure marketing, and really annoyed many of the fine engineers who worked on that technology.

One of the things I was told, circa 1998-99, was that SGI had acquired Cray with a “handshake” agreement from certain Cray-purchasing US government customers that a particular level of sales would be maintained.  I was told that the USG failed to comply with that agreement, and denied making it.  This led to a defocusing in the MIPS team on a couple of very specific features (eg. popcount) that those buyers found essential.

Can’t confirm that last paragraph, but the source was very well placed.

]]> By: formerlifehttp://www.vizworld.com/2009/04/what-led-to-the-fall-of-sgi-chapter-2/#comment-14290 formerlife Sat, 02 Oct 2010 11:53:46 +0000 the only reason they obtained cray was to improve on current best in practice cooling methods for such large compute arrays. cray were more plumbers than engineers by all accounts. ugh cpop.don't forget the random choice to build a completely new campus when they didn't even fill the existing campus leases due to interesting gerrymandering with MtV. the only reason they obtained cray was to improve on current best in practice cooling methods for such large compute arrays. cray were more plumbers than engineers by all accounts. ugh cpop.

don’t forget the random choice to build a completely new campus when they didn’t even fill the existing campus leases due to interesting gerrymandering with MtV.

]]> By: Anonhttp://www.vizworld.com/2009/04/what-led-to-the-fall-of-sgi-chapter-2/#comment-13773 Anon Fri, 09 Jul 2010 19:31:59 +0000 NUMA link was _not_ developed by Cray. It was designed by SGI before hand, but was renamed "CrayLink" to make it sound like SGI had actually gotten something of value from the Cray acquisition.BTW - The senior engineers who went to do due diligence on the Cray acquisition said "don't do it, there's nothing of value there". Management said "wrong answer". NUMA link was _not_ developed by Cray. It was designed by SGI before hand, but was renamed “CrayLink” to make it sound like SGI had actually gotten something of value from the Cray acquisition.

BTW – The senior engineers who went to do due diligence on the Cray acquisition said “don’t do it, there’s nothing of value there”. Management said “wrong answer”.

]]> By: 3dManhttp://www.vizworld.com/2009/04/what-led-to-the-fall-of-sgi-chapter-2/#comment-5230 3dMan Wed, 26 Aug 2009 21:51:10 +0000 Your timeline is somewhat wrong. In 1995, there was no Maya, yet - it was first released in 1998. What sold the Irix Boxes were Alias Power Animator and Wavefront's Adv. Visualizer, of which Maya was a merged Product. One other reason for the downfall of SGi was simply, that toward the end of the nineties, you could purchase an NT BOX with a Petium and a descent Graphics card that could at least speedwise, outran any SGI BOX at a much cheaper price. Your timeline is somewhat wrong. In 1995, there was no Maya, yet – it was first released in 1998. What sold the Irix Boxes were Alias Power Animator and Wavefront’s Adv. Visualizer, of which Maya was a merged Product.
One other reason for the downfall of SGi was simply, that toward the end of the nineties, you could purchase an NT BOX with a Petium and a descent Graphics card that could at least speedwise, outran any SGI BOX at a much cheaper price.

]]> By: Biffhttp://www.vizworld.com/2009/04/what-led-to-the-fall-of-sgi-chapter-2/#comment-2346 Biff Thu, 09 Jul 2009 23:40:23 +0000 The CS6400 didn't merely become the basis for a line of profitable Sun servers -- the resulting Enterprise 10000 line did more than a billion dollars of business in its first year with Sun, and it kicked more than a few SGI Challenges and Origins out of the data center. The CS6400 didn’t merely become the basis for a line of profitable Sun servers — the resulting Enterprise 10000 line did more than a billion dollars of business in its first year with Sun, and it kicked more than a few SGI Challenges and Origins out of the data center.

]]> By: RabbJohnnyhttp://www.vizworld.com/2009/04/what-led-to-the-fall-of-sgi-chapter-2/#comment-562 RabbJohnny Thu, 30 Apr 2009 17:45:08 +0000 I was told the Tera deal actually came out to ~$65M. Many months after the deal closed, Tera had not paid...no idea if the $ was ever collected. I was told the Tera deal actually came out to ~$65M. Many months after the deal closed, Tera had not paid…no idea if the $ was ever collected.

]]> By: mshttp://www.vizworld.com/2009/04/what-led-to-the-fall-of-sgi-chapter-2/#comment-555 ms Thu, 30 Apr 2009 16:21:27 +0000 I agree with Greg's comments on Sabatical. Cray employee's got 6 weeks after the cray purchase.They didn't all get to take it imediately though. It was based on seniority of number of years service. those with the most years got to go first and the others got scheduled afterwards so that everyone wouldn't take it off "the first summer".As for the Intergraph Purcahse, they paid $100 million to purchase a division of Intergraph that was going to be shut down. SGI paid Intergraph rent for several months to house the employees in Intergraph buildings until the refurbished space could be finished.They had been in that new space 2-3 months when they laid all but about 5-10 of them off in a big group meeting.The Intergraph employees weren't terribly upset as they got HUGE severance packages based on years of service that included Intergraph years. Some got 6 months pay.this is on top of the 6 months pay they got working for SGI before the layoff and the paid sabaticals they got.SGI lost MILLIONS over this. I agree with Greg’s comments on Sabatical. Cray employee’s got 6 weeks after the cray purchase.

They didn’t all get to take it imediately though. It was based on seniority of number of years service. those with the most years got to go first and the others got scheduled afterwards so that everyone wouldn’t take it off “the first summer”.

As for the Intergraph Purcahse, they paid $100 million to purchase a division of Intergraph that was going to be shut down. SGI paid Intergraph rent for several months to house the employees in Intergraph buildings until the refurbished space could be finished.

They had been in that new space 2-3 months when they laid all but about 5-10 of them off in a big group meeting.

The Intergraph employees weren’t terribly upset as they got HUGE severance packages based on years of service that included Intergraph years. Some got 6 months pay.

this is on top of the 6 months pay they got working for SGI before the layoff and the paid sabaticals they got.

SGI lost MILLIONS over this.

]]> By: mshttp://www.vizworld.com/2009/04/what-led-to-the-fall-of-sgi-chapter-2/#comment-553 ms Thu, 30 Apr 2009 16:15:21 +0000 <a href="#comment-482" rel="nofollow">@ Yeraze</a>I think SGI sold Cray for something like $100million or $105 million to Tera, which changed its name to Cray @ Yeraze

I think SGI sold Cray for something like $100million or $105 million to Tera, which changed its name to Cray

]]> By: Yerazehttp://www.vizworld.com/2009/04/what-led-to-the-fall-of-sgi-chapter-2/#comment-492 Yeraze Tue, 28 Apr 2009 14:17:30 +0000 <a href="#comment-487" rel="nofollow">@Greg Davis</a> Thanks for the data point. I've integrated it into the article. @Greg Davis Thanks for the data point. I’ve integrated it into the article.

]]> By: Greg Davishttp://www.vizworld.com/2009/04/what-led-to-the-fall-of-sgi-chapter-2/#comment-487 Greg Davis Tue, 28 Apr 2009 13:08:27 +0000 You are wrong about the sabbatical time off for Cray people. Cray people got one 6 week sabbatical one year after SGI acquired Cray. I was one of those people. You are wrong about the sabbatical time off for Cray people. Cray people got one 6 week sabbatical one year after SGI acquired Cray. I was one of those people.

]]> By: Yerazehttp://www.vizworld.com/2009/04/what-led-to-the-fall-of-sgi-chapter-2/#comment-482 Yeraze Mon, 27 Apr 2009 20:38:24 +0000 <a href="#comment-480" rel="nofollow">@<img src="http://www.vizworld.com/wp-content/plugins/rpx/images/openid.png"> lifeguard1999</a>SGI Sold Cray for something around $175M (<a href="http://news.cnet.com/Supercomputer-maker-to-buy-Cray,-change-name/2100-1001_3-237517.html" rel="nofollow">Reference</a>), after buying it for $740Million.SGI bought Alias & WAvefront for something akin to $500M. (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wavefront_Technologies" rel="nofollow">Reference</a>) @ lifeguard1999

SGI Sold Cray for something around $175M (Reference), after buying it for $740Million.

SGI bought Alias & WAvefront for something akin to $500M. (Reference)

]]> By: lifeguard1999http://www.vizworld.com/2009/04/what-led-to-the-fall-of-sgi-chapter-2/#comment-480 lifeguard1999 Mon, 27 Apr 2009 20:34:13 +0000 How much did SGI pay for Alias Research and Wafefront Technologies, versus what they sold it for?How much did SGI sell Cray to Tera for? How much did SGI pay for Alias Research and Wafefront Technologies, versus what they sold it for?

How much did SGI sell Cray to Tera for?

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