Rebirth of the Tech Madman

...

The fundamental reason why Fangyuan Computer's Taichi-ii is so much ahead of Cray's Cray-2/8 in terms of performance is the difference in supercomputer architecture design. Le Wen ▸ Novels |

To put it simply, there are important differences in everyone's understanding and implementation of parallelism.

This point is more concentrated on the most important computer component, that is, the CPU - the central processing unit.

In the era when personal computers were as popular as ordinary household appliances, microprocessors were basically equivalent to CPUs. But in fact, the development of cpu is also divided into several stages.

In the early 1970s, three R\u0026D projects almost became pioneers in the microprocessor industry overnight, namely Intel's intel4004, Texas Instruments' tms1000, and Garrett Ilesage's cadc.

Because the cadc is used in the main flight control computer of the US Navy's F-14 Tomcat fighter jet, it is kept secret, so the public only knows the pioneering work of Intel and Texas Instruments.

After more than ten years of development, the microprocessor has basically entered the 32-bit era, and its performance is far from being comparable to the original 4-bit architecture.

However, in the process of this great development of IT technology, the cpu implementation scheme before the microprocessor - discrete transistor and integrated circuit central processing unit, still has a strong vitality, such as the cpu used by Clay's supercomputer, it is so it is.

Of course, it is impossible for new-age products that represent the future to eliminate mature existing products just as they emerge. Discrete transistors and integrated circuit central processing units have their own advantages, such as high operating frequency—as early as 1970 In the middle of the 1980s, 80mhz could be achieved; after entering the 1980s, it broke through 100mhz; now it is increased to 125mhz.

By parallelizing several such computing units together, a vector processor is formed. It can provide supercomputers with extremely powerful performance at present.

Cray-2/8, which competes with Fangyuan Computer Company Taiji-ii, uses 4 vector processors, and the high computing performance can be imagined. Unfortunately, it ultimately failed.

Supercomputers are inseparable from the parallel mechanism, which is the strength of Taiji-ii of Fangyuan Computer Company. That is, it has a unique and advanced implementation plan - the node method.

Through the symmetric multi-processor technology, it integrates the four most high-end risc processor holder-s, as well as the corresponding coprocessors, main memory and other components,

Form an independent computing unit; then take it as the basic unit and connect it with a topology network.

In this way, Taichi-ii surpassed the vector processor of cray-2/8 with multiple nodes.

The entire supercomputer is a comprehensive and optimized system. For example, another obvious shortcoming is the pathway connecting various components.

With traditional cables, distances of a few meters can cause delays of tens of nanoseconds. Manufacturers have carefully designed the wiring. On this basis, Tai Chi-ii also introduced the fiber optic communication technology which is still in its infancy.

Although there are differences in the specific implementation of products by manufacturers, all supercomputers are large energy consumers. For example, the power of Taiji-ii exceeds 200 kilowatts, and it needs to be equipped with a special power supply system and cooling system.

The competition for the throne of the world's most powerful computer means the competition of multiple abilities such as creativity, organization, and execution. The technical competition inside is hard to describe.

The launch of Taichi-ii is just a new beginning.

Tang Huan's focus then shifted to the development and optimization of the operating system, compiler, and application software used by this platform.

After all, the light is in his own hands. There are a large number of projects such as computer animation, financial investment models, molecular evaluation of cancer and HIV drugs, etc., waiting for Tai Chi-ii to assist in the analysis.

However, the waves of business never stop. Tang Huan, who was obsessed with technology, was soon drawn back to the real world of endless struggles.

...

After entering 1985, IBM's top management started a new round of handover. Its CEO has changed, John Opel—that is, the one who said he knew Gates’ mother and trusted Gates, and thus promoted the completion of the ibm-pc operating system to Microsoft—retired from his position, and his successor was Another president, John Akers.

Although promoted, John Akers couldn't care less about being happy. Gein's current operating situation of ibm is not optimistic.

It was overtaken by the newcomer Fangyuan Computer Company and snatched the first place in market value. Even though IBM couldn't help but feel pantothenic, it still maintained a gentlemanly demeanor. Congratulations.

After all, Big Blue is an established company with more than 70 years of history, and its history is equivalent to ten times that of Fangyuan Computer Company. I have never seen anything in the world. I have already tasted enough of the throne with the number one market value. It is a skill that can stand the test of time. !

Back then, IBM was even more prosperous than the current Fangyuan Computer Company. The incomparable success of the mainframe/360 made Big Blue's market value peak at $192.3 billion in 1967, when the national GDP of the United States was only $830 billion.

Although IBM doesn't really care about these noisy digital comparison games, it must face up to the problems it is encountering as reflected by many current data, including the company's stock price.

After entering the 1980s, affected by the disappearance of the shadow of the anti-monopoly investigation by the US Department of Justice, especially the positive stimulation of entering the vigorous personal computer field and successfully launching the ibm-pc, the market value of ibm began to rebound strongly from the range of more than 30 billion US dollars. And all the way to more than 50 billion U.S. dollars, regaining the number one throne from AT\u0026T.

But Xiao He is successful, and Xiao He is also defeated. IBM's troubles come from the personal computer business. It not only needs the two armies to confront each other, but also faces backstabbing from the ibm-pc compatible machine - ibm-pc In the standard camp, half of the market share was taken away by ibm-pc compatible machines, and the money they earned had nothing to do with ibm, the pioneer.

Among the ibm-pc compatible machine manufacturers, the most successful example is Compaq Computer. It first aimed at the portable personal computer market ignored by ibm in 1982, and launched Paq Portable; after great success, it officially entered the desktop market in 1984 , launched paqdeskpro. Started to compete face-to-face with ibm-pc/xt and ibm-pc/at, and have made hundreds of millions of dollars.

How difficult is it to make an ibm-pc compatible now?

First of all, after ibm released the ibm-pc specification for free. The only technical barrier left in the hand - bios, has been completely broken. Several companies, including Logies and AwardSoftware, copied 100% compatible bios and became suppliers.

Secondly, after Gordon Campbell left seeq, he held high the banner of the concept of factory-free production, obtained investment from investors from Japan and other places, and established his own company in Silicon Valley, specializing in the development of ibm-pc motherboards compatible chip on the And through optimization, the integration is higher, which directly reduces the cost.

In the end, the second suppliers of Intel CPUs also launched their own compatible products one after another, which ruined IBM's plan to monopolize microprocessors. At the same time, Microsoft's operating system ms-dos can copy it for you regardless of the genuine or compatible machines.

In this way, even an unnamed garage like Apple's original startup stage can easily assemble ready-made cpu, motherboard chips, bios and other components into an ibm-pc compatible machine. Then take it to the market and sell it at a lower price, and the profit is often higher than that of IBM.

This uncontrolled disorderly competition within the ibm-pc standard camp. Directly let Big Blue's own genuine ibm-pc have no advantage in terms of cost performance.

Feeling more and more serious threats, ibm gritted its teeth in hatred, but judging from the current situation, it can only stare blankly, and can't come up with effective countermeasures at all, unless it starts from scratch and comes up with a new set of ibm- The pc standard completely kicks out the current ibm-pc/xt and ibm-pc/at compatible machines.

In addition, after the personal computer business, which is very capital-intensive, suffered a setback. Seriously affected ibm's cash flow, making the financial statements very ugly. This is the real reason for management's concern.

After John Akers took over the position of CEO, he also saw that IBM had a vague tendency to go downhill. Last year, the company's total revenue increased by only 1%, and profits fell instead of rising.

The combination of these circumstances made John Akers and the board of directors feel a little panicked, and they had to hold a meeting to discuss, at least to come up with a way to make the company's cash flow report data not so bad.

Before entering this topic, the meeting first announced two personnel transfers—the input system department, or esd, which was the original ibm-pc department, and its current president, don estridge, was transferred to the ibm global manufacturing business department The vacated position was replaced by Bill Lovo, who originally started the chess project.

Don Estridge, who seems to have been promoted, has a serious face and no joy at all. He knew full well that he had lost the trust of the board because of the bad situation in the PC business. The job transfer this time is actually a reduction of power.

I have to say that IBM, which has not canceled the lifetime employment system at this time, is still very humane. Gu Nian Don? A tactful way of exile.

In the speech session after accepting the appointment, Don Estridge carefully summarized some obvious mistakes in his tenure, such as the failure of the ibm-pc/jr model, and the intel80286, which took up a lot of cash and hoarded Intel, and so on.

In fact, although personal computers are known as individuals and families, their real success depends on commercial use. With this small box with good cost performance, the threshold for various companies to obtain IT solutions will be lowered at once.

Of course, the slogan of popularizing personal computers in every home is still shouted very loudly in the industry, and it is trying to achieve this goal with cheap computers.

After the successful launch of the ibm-pc/xt, Don Estridge was moved by the idea of ​​a personal computer targeted at the home by the new chief designer, Bill Sidneys, and launched the ibm-pc/jr.

As a result, this so-called cheap model, priced at $1,500, sold more than 10,000 units, and it was out of the game with a fiasco without any suspense.

In short, ibm, a big stupid elephant, has no talent for making cheap products at all, and its best business direction is still the high-end field with high technology content.

Regarding this mistake, Don Estridge really has no excuse.

Since the launch of the ibm-pc/at equipped with the intel80286 microprocessor was later than that of the competitor's third-generation Fangyuan personal computer, Don Estridge decided to buy all the intel80286, which was still the exclusive source of supply at that time, from Intel. Sniping the third-generation Fangyuan personal computer that gained the first-mover advantage.

At the beginning, this trick worked well. Fangyuan Computer Company had to take the high-end product mc68000 series of three generations of Fangyuan personal computers to lose money and cut prices. The ibm-pc/at that entered the market later made good progress.

But unexpectedly, ibm-pc/at, like the third-generation Fangyuan personal computer, had quality problems. The hard disk alone threw away a tugboat. As a result, the painstaking plan suddenly came to nothing. l80286 second suppliers launched one after another Compatible products, the three generations of Fangyuan personal computers have overcome the difficulties, and even the ibm-pc compatible machines have a chance to catch up.

This mistake made Don Estridge feel that God had played an expensive joke on him, so he was helpless and powerless.

Don? Estridge's sincere attitude has been praised by the board of directors, which also means that the personnel transfer is very smooth.

After Bill Lovo, who had high hopes, gave a short and cautious speech, John Akers said, The company's cash flow needs to be improved urgently. If you have any suggestions, please share.

Soon someone answered, Isn't our investment department holding 20% ​​of Intel's shares? This company, which is mainly engaged in the memory business, has recently been affected by the dumping of products by Japanese semiconductor companies, and its prospects are difficult to predict. , it’s better to cash out as soon as possible, and at least 400 million US dollars can be recovered.” (To be continued.)

... ()