InformationWeek is highlighting Convey Computer in its December 01 edition as the startup of the week — sort of a trading card for IT companies. From the article
The HC-1’s “hybrid-core” design combines an Intel Xeon processor, standard Intel chipset, and Convey-engineered coprocessor in a 2U server. The coprocessor’s instructions appear as x86 extensions, and the system’s C, C++, and Fortran development environment generates code for the Intel chip and the coprocessor simultaneously for easier programming. Convey is developing task-specific instruction sets, or “personalities,” for different industries, and a personality development kit is available.
…Not everyone needs a supercomputer, but for companies that do, Convey is an interesting alternative. The company touts programming ease and price/performance as the HC-1’s two big selling points, and its starting price of $32,000 sounds attractive for heavy-duty jobs such as disease research, as it’s being used by UC San Diego. Of course, all computer vendors claim to offer ease of use and lower price, and Convey’s claims need to be validated.
