Steve Chen
Encyclopedia
Steve Chen (born 1944 in Taiwan
) is a computer engineer and pioneer. Chen is the founder and CEO of Galactic Computing, a developer of supercomputing blade systems, based in Shenzhen
, China
.
Chen holds a M.S. from Villanova University
and a PhD from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
. He is best known as the principal designer of the Cray X-MP
and Cray Y-MP
multiprocessor supercomputers. Chen left Cray Research in 1987. With IBM
's financial support, Chen founded Supercomputer Systems Incorporated in January 1988. SSI was devoted to development of the SS-1 supercomputer, which was nearly completed before the money ran out. The Eau Claire, Wisconsin
-based company went bankrupt in 1993, leaving more than 300 employees jobless. An attempt to salvage the work was made by forming a new company, SuperComputer International (SCI), later that year. SCI was renamed Chen Systems in 1995. It was acquired by Sequent Computer Systems
the following year. John Markoff
, a technology journalist, wrote in the New York Times that Chen was "considered one of the nation's most brilliant supercomputer designers while working in this country for the technology pioneer Seymour Cray in the 1980s."
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
) is a computer engineer and pioneer. Chen is the founder and CEO of Galactic Computing, a developer of supercomputing blade systems, based in Shenzhen
Shenzhen
Shenzhen is a major city in the south of Southern China's Guangdong Province, situated immediately north of Hong Kong. The area became China's first—and one of the most successful—Special Economic Zones...
, China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
.
Chen holds a M.S. from Villanova University
Villanova University
Villanova University is a private university located in Radnor Township, a suburb northwest of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States...
and a PhD from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
. He is best known as the principal designer of the Cray X-MP
Cray X-MP
The Cray X-MP was a supercomputer designed, built and sold by Cray Research. It was announced in 1982 as the "cleaned up" successor to the 1975 Cray-1, and was the world's fastest computer from 1983 to 1985...
and Cray Y-MP
Cray Y-MP
The Cray Y-MP was a supercomputer sold by Cray Research from 1988, and the successor to the company's X-MP. The Y-MP retained software compatibility with the X-MP, but extended the address registers from 24 to 32 bits. High-density VLSI ECL technology was used and a new liquid cooling system was...
multiprocessor supercomputers. Chen left Cray Research in 1987. With IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
's financial support, Chen founded Supercomputer Systems Incorporated in January 1988. SSI was devoted to development of the SS-1 supercomputer, which was nearly completed before the money ran out. The Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Eau Claire is a city located in the west-central part of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 65,883 as of the 2010 census, making it the largest municipality in the northwestern portion of the state, and the 9th largest in the state overall. It is the county seat of Eau Claire County,...
-based company went bankrupt in 1993, leaving more than 300 employees jobless. An attempt to salvage the work was made by forming a new company, SuperComputer International (SCI), later that year. SCI was renamed Chen Systems in 1995. It was acquired by Sequent Computer Systems
Sequent Computer Systems
Sequent Computer Systems, or Sequent, was a computer company that designed and manufactured multiprocessing computer systems. They were among the pioneers in high-performance symmetric multiprocessing open systems, innovating in both hardware and software Sequent Computer Systems, or Sequent, was...
the following year. John Markoff
John Markoff
John Markoff is a journalist best known for his work at The New York Times, and a book and series of articles about the 1990s pursuit and capture of hacker Kevin Mitnick.- Biography :...
, a technology journalist, wrote in the New York Times that Chen was "considered one of the nation's most brilliant supercomputer designers while working in this country for the technology pioneer Seymour Cray in the 1980s."
External links
- Galactic Computing
- "Have Supercomputer, Will Travel" — New York Times, November 1, 2004
- "The THIRD-BRAIN: The Next Generation of Supercomputer Design Beyond PetaFlop/s" — an interview with Steve Chen, EnterTheGrid - Primeur Weekly, August 7, 2006
- "Steve Chen Touts for Funds" — Computer Business Review, November 29, 1988
- "Designer Starts New Computer Company" — New York Times, July 3, 1995