Very abbreviated translation of http://www.el2000.ru/company/comp.html
Elbrus is a spin-off company (actually tree companies) of Institute for Precise Mechanics and Computing Equipment (IPMCE), who designed supercomputers used for Soviet missile control, missile defence, nuclear research and other applications. R&D people are mostly from IPMCE. ... From the history of IPMCE
1957-59 : M-40 - a computer on vacuum tubes, used in first successful missile-defence test.
1964-69 : 5E92B - 2-processor system on ICs, main component in first missile-defense system of Moscow.
1973-79 : ELBRUS-1 - first SMP system on medium-integration ISc, 10-processor system.
1977-84 : ELBRUS-2 - SMP supercomputer, based on ECL (?) high-integration ICs, 10 processors, used in Space Flight Control Center, in nuclear research centers, for military applications.
1985-94 : ELBRUS-3 - LSI, ECL high-integration ICs, 16 processors, 2 times performance of CRAY-YM. Wasn't put in production for financial reasons.
Some of IPMCE design achievements
1955 - high-speed arithmetics 1964 - fault-tolerant non-stop architecture with full hardware control (?) 1979 - SMP system with shared memory, 10 CPU 1979 - protected programming technology, hardware support for data types 1986 - an architecture with explicit parallelism 1986 - binary compilation technology ... Novosibirsk and StPetersburg offices were formed in 1992, and work mostly on compilers and Java technology. ... MCST (Moscow Center for SPARC Tecnologies) - a part of ELBRUS group, 400+ employees ... Recent designs :
- a SPARC-compatible CPU for military applications - universal high-performance system ELBRUS-90micro, works with 100+ different network and I/O-adapters.
Since 1992 MCST works with Sun Miscrosystem: design and support of compilers, operating systems, perspective workstation design, Java technologies.
Long-time partnership with Compass Design Automation B.V. (a VLSI Technology, Inc. company), a VLSI CAD specialist. ... Currently MCST works on new E2K CPU design, using postRISC architecture with explicit parallelism and binary compilation technology, providing effective and reliable execution of Intelx86 binaries, with estimated performance of up to 2 times higher than Intel's P7 (Merced). ... Key elements of the project are CPU architecture and a complementary "superoptimizing" compiler, which permits fullest usage of hardware parallelism.
Another important direction is improvements of binary compilation technology, which provides 100% reliability and high efficiency of binary compatibility modes for x86 and SPARC architectures. ... MCST also works on number of other joint projects in hardware and software areas, with Transmeta and other companies.
************************************************ So those guys certainly have know-how, experience and gray matter to design kick-ass computers. Manufacturing is another story...
Slashdot Mirror
Oops, forgot the URL :
http://www.elbrus.ru/press/press_faq-2502.html
Get some answers, from the source of the news.
And it's in English, so don't bother that
Russian guy in the next cubicle 8-)
Very abbreviated translation of http://www.el2000.ru/company/comp.html
*
Elbrus is a spin-off company (actually tree companies) of Institute for Precise Mechanics and Computing Equipment (IPMCE), who designed supercomputers used for Soviet missile control, missile defence, nuclear research and other applications. R&D people are mostly from IPMCE.
...
From the history of IPMCE
1957-59 : M-40 - a computer on vacuum tubes, used in first successful missile-defence test.
1964-69 : 5E92B - 2-processor system on ICs, main component in first missile-defense system
of Moscow.
1973-79 : ELBRUS-1 - first SMP system on medium-integration ISc, 10-processor system.
1977-84 : ELBRUS-2 - SMP supercomputer, based on ECL (?) high-integration ICs, 10 processors,
used in Space Flight Control Center, in nuclear research centers, for military applications.
1985-94 : ELBRUS-3 - LSI, ECL high-integration ICs, 16 processors, 2 times performance of CRAY-YM. Wasn't put in production for financial reasons.
Some of IPMCE design achievements
1955 - high-speed arithmetics
1964 - fault-tolerant non-stop architecture with full hardware control (?)
1979 - SMP system with shared memory, 10 CPU
1979 - protected programming technology, hardware support for data types
1986 - an architecture with explicit parallelism
1986 - binary compilation technology
...
Novosibirsk and StPetersburg offices were formed in 1992, and work mostly on compilers and Java technology.
...
MCST (Moscow Center for SPARC Tecnologies) - a part of ELBRUS group, 400+ employees
...
Recent designs :
- a SPARC-compatible CPU for military applications
- universal high-performance system ELBRUS-90micro, works with 100+ different network and I/O-adapters.
Since 1992 MCST works with Sun Miscrosystem: design and support of compilers, operating systems, perspective workstation design, Java technologies.
Long-time partnership with Compass Design Automation B.V. (a VLSI Technology, Inc. company), a VLSI CAD specialist.
...
Currently MCST works on new E2K CPU design, using postRISC architecture with explicit parallelism and binary compilation technology, providing effective and reliable execution of Intelx86 binaries, with estimated performance of up to 2 times higher than Intel's P7 (Merced).
...
Key elements of the project are CPU architecture and a complementary "superoptimizing" compiler, which permits fullest usage of hardware parallelism.
Another important direction is improvements of binary compilation technology, which provides 100% reliability and high efficiency of binary compatibility modes for x86 and SPARC architectures.
...
MCST also works on number of other joint projects in hardware and software areas, with Transmeta and other companies.
***********************************************
So those guys certainly have know-how, experience and gray matter to design kick-ass computers.
Manufacturing is another story...