Top 500 trends

[John Brookes]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Greg Lindahl [mailto:lindahl at keyresearch.com]
> Sent: 26 November 2002 19:13
> To: beowulf at beowulf.org
> Subject: Re: Top 500 trends
> 
> 
> On Tue, Nov 26, 2002 at 10:14:32AM -0600, Dean Johnson wrote:
> 
> > Now if only Shuttle would introduce their liquid immersion box
> > and avoid the heatpipe altogether.... ;-)
> 
> http://www.spraycool.com; immersion is not necessary. This is how the
> new Cray X1 is cooled. In theory it could hit the mainstream in ~ 5
> years. It is the only technology I have seen capable of dealing with
> the power density of a small server built using Itaniums. So it
> doesn't attack the real issue (high watts/GFlop), but it papers
> over it nicely.

HP has also developed a processor cooling system that is based on its inkjet
printers ("Stick with what you know best", as my Grandma used to say ;) The
cool thing is it detects hotspots on the chip and aims the coolant only
there, rather than spraying the whole die (press release:
http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/newsroom/press/06aug02b.htm). Seems winning to me,
but I haven't seen/heard of it in operation (anyone?).

> 
> > I still like the characterization about whether you would want your
> > Oregon-bound wagon pulled by 8 sturdy oxen, or a thousand chickens.
> 
> google says someone claims the real quote is:
> 
> "If you were plowing a field, which would you rather use? Two strong
> oxen or 1024 chickens?" -- Seymour Cray
> 

There's also Enrico Clementi's version: "I know how to get four horses to
pull a cart, but I don't know how to make 1024 chickens do it" (or v.
similar).



John Brookes
Quadrics
T: +44 (0)117 9155500
F: +44 (0)117 9075395
E: johnb at quadrics.com
W3: www.quadrics.com