Comments on: SGI: “We will be back in the visual supercomputing business” [UPDATED] http://insidehpc.com/2007/09/27/sgi-we-will-be-back-in-the-visual-supercomputing-business/ HPC News Without the Noise for Supercomputing Professionals | insideHPC Sun, 19 May 2013 10:46:54 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.1 By: SGI terminates graphics efforts, division eliminated | insideHPC.com http://insidehpc.com/2007/09/27/sgi-we-will-be-back-in-the-visual-supercomputing-business/#comment-178608 SGI terminates graphics efforts, division eliminated | insideHPC.com Mon, 17 Aug 2009 20:36:01 +0000 http://insidehpc.com/2007/09/27/sgi-we-will-be-back-in-the-visual-supercomputing-business/#comment-178608 [...] returned to the company as CEO in Apr of 2007, I was in the audience at IDC’s HPC User Forum as Bo Ewald announced to those assembled that SGI was headed “back in the visual supercomputing business” and [...] [...] returned to the company as CEO in Apr of 2007, I was in the audience at IDC’s HPC User Forum as Bo Ewald announced to those assembled that SGI was headed “back in the visual supercomputing business” and [...]

]]> By: SGI Unveils Visual Supercomputing Strategy | insideHPC http://insidehpc.com/2007/09/27/sgi-we-will-be-back-in-the-visual-supercomputing-business/#comment-17927 SGI Unveils Visual Supercomputing Strategy | insideHPC Mon, 12 Nov 2007 16:00:50 +0000 http://insidehpc.com/2007/09/27/sgi-we-will-be-back-in-the-visual-supercomputing-business/#comment-17927 [...] John West reported back in September from the HPC user forum on a quote by SGI CEO Bo Ewald rumoring that they were [...] [...] John West reported back in September from the HPC user forum on a quote by SGI CEO Bo Ewald rumoring that they were [...]

]]> By: Getting the “G” to stand for “graphics” again | insideHPC http://insidehpc.com/2007/09/27/sgi-we-will-be-back-in-the-visual-supercomputing-business/#comment-15763 Getting the “G” to stand for “graphics” again | insideHPC Tue, 30 Oct 2007 18:02:11 +0000 http://insidehpc.com/2007/09/27/sgi-we-will-be-back-in-the-visual-supercomputing-business/#comment-15763 [...] when I reported from the HPC User Forum last month that CEO Bo Ewald had just told the audience that SGI was [...] [...] when I reported from the HPC User Forum last month that CEO Bo Ewald had just told the audience that SGI was [...]

]]> By: PaulAdams http://insidehpc.com/2007/09/27/sgi-we-will-be-back-in-the-visual-supercomputing-business/#comment-11251 PaulAdams Fri, 28 Sep 2007 01:58:09 +0000 http://insidehpc.com/2007/09/27/sgi-we-will-be-back-in-the-visual-supercomputing-business/#comment-11251 @Deepak ... You are right. SGI started wavering in the late 90's. They had a chance in 1998 when they sued nVidia over patent issues to protect their market share. But in 1999, SGI dropped the lawsuit and cross licensed the patents with nVidia. That gave nVidia a free and clear run with only one other competitor (ATI). SGI has publicly admitted that dropping the lawsuit against nVidia was a bad move. That was the reason they sued ATI in 2006. (Never heard what became of that lawsuit.) As a business you need to protect what you own as well as invest in the future. SGI failed to protect what they owned, failed to invest in the future, and then by the time the right people tried to correct the course of the ship, they hit the iceberg (bankruptcy). I have bought two cutting-edge Graphstream visual supercomputers since the Onyx 340 came out in 2001. However, I will always keep an eye out for SGI. If they come out with a compelling product (and there are good engineers left at SGI so it is possible), then I will buy SGI again. @Deepak … You are right. SGI started wavering in the late 90′s. They had a chance in 1998 when they sued nVidia over patent issues to protect their market share. But in 1999, SGI dropped the lawsuit and cross licensed the patents with nVidia. That gave nVidia a free and clear run with only one other competitor (ATI). SGI has publicly admitted that dropping the lawsuit against nVidia was a bad move. That was the reason they sued ATI in 2006. (Never heard what became of that lawsuit.)

As a business you need to protect what you own as well as invest in the future. SGI failed to protect what they owned, failed to invest in the future, and then by the time the right people tried to correct the course of the ship, they hit the iceberg (bankruptcy).

I have bought two cutting-edge Graphstream visual supercomputers since the Onyx 340 came out in 2001. However, I will always keep an eye out for SGI. If they come out with a compelling product (and there are good engineers left at SGI so it is possible), then I will buy SGI again.

]]> By: Deepak http://insidehpc.com/2007/09/27/sgi-we-will-be-back-in-the-visual-supercomputing-business/#comment-11231 Deepak Thu, 27 Sep 2007 21:32:29 +0000 http://insidehpc.com/2007/09/27/sgi-we-will-be-back-in-the-visual-supercomputing-business/#comment-11231 How long did it take them to figure that out? 6-7 years? @PaulAdams ... I think SGI's research focus on graphics and visualization started wavering in the late 90's. When I started life as a a computational scientist doing structural biology, all we ever used were SGI's. Then, the cost became prohibitive and the lead in graphics performance just disappeared, since you could get great graphics performance on other platforms. Didn't SGIs graphics team all leave and join NVidia? I would like SGI to focus on high end graphics workstations again, perhaps for a niche market, but it wonder if it is not too late. How long did it take them to figure that out? 6-7 years?

@PaulAdams … I think SGI’s research focus on graphics and visualization started wavering in the late 90′s. When I started life as a a computational scientist doing structural biology, all we ever used were SGI’s. Then, the cost became prohibitive and the lead in graphics performance just disappeared, since you could get great graphics performance on other platforms. Didn’t SGIs graphics team all leave and join NVidia?

I would like SGI to focus on high end graphics workstations again, perhaps for a niche market, but it wonder if it is not too late.

]]> By: PaulAdams http://insidehpc.com/2007/09/27/sgi-we-will-be-back-in-the-visual-supercomputing-business/#comment-11225 PaulAdams Thu, 27 Sep 2007 19:27:31 +0000 http://insidehpc.com/2007/09/27/sgi-we-will-be-back-in-the-visual-supercomputing-business/#comment-11225 Pop Quiz Time: 1. What does the "G" in SGI stand for anyway? 2. Fill in the blank: "It was really stupid for the company to ________" 3. What visual supercomputer did SGI announce at IEEE Visualization 2004? 4. Is that computer still being sold by the company? If so, explain how they have stopped "visualization types of things." Bonus Question: What is the name of the company that sells rebranded Graphstream computers in Japan? Personally, I would like to see SGI return to its former glory and be at the forefront of visualization. I do not see how they claim that they are out of the visualization business. They still sell such computers. Pop Quiz Time:

1. What does the “G” in SGI stand for anyway?

2. Fill in the blank:

“It was really stupid for the company to ________”

3. What visual supercomputer did SGI announce at IEEE Visualization 2004?

4. Is that computer still being sold by the company? If so, explain how they have stopped “visualization types of things.”

Bonus Question: What is the name of the company that sells rebranded Graphstream computers in Japan?

Personally, I would like to see SGI return to its former glory and be at the forefront of visualization. I do not see how they claim that they are out of the visualization business. They still sell such computers.

]]> By: John Leidel http://insidehpc.com/2007/09/27/sgi-we-will-be-back-in-the-visual-supercomputing-business/#comment-11221 John Leidel Thu, 27 Sep 2007 17:39:10 +0000 http://insidehpc.com/2007/09/27/sgi-we-will-be-back-in-the-visual-supercomputing-business/#comment-11221 "Bo knows visual supercomputing" ...sorry, had to do it... “Bo knows visual supercomputing”
…sorry, had to do it…

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