Seymour Cray's Only Surviving Talk: "Cray-1 Introduction" (1976, LANL) on HackerTube: recommended by 1 Hacker News commenter across 1 month, 2016–2026.
talk · intermediate · evergreen
Seymour Cray's only surviving recorded talk, introducing the Cray-1 supercomputer in 1976. He describes the machine's design, including its vector architecture and cooling through the frame.
Cited as a rare first-hand account from Cray, loved for details like the aluminum machining invented to carry Freon through the frame.
“My favorite part is his description of the aluminum machining they had to invent in order to move the freon through the frame”
3 Hacker News comments link this video. Each one links back to its thread.
Cray himself. Here's a talk about designing it. My favorite part is his description of the aluminum machining they had to invent in order to move the freon through the frame to keep the machine from melting. It's a great talk. ▶ this video
in “The Cray-1 Computer System (1977) [pdf]” · View on HN
It reminds me of Seymour Cray's solution. Well, series of solutions, to run Freon directly through the frame of the Cray-1. ▶ this video
in “How thermal management is changing in the age of the kilowatt chip” · View on HN
This is the Watson "janitor" letter: [link] Here is a talk of his: ▶ this video Bill Norris mentioned was the CEO of CDC.
in “Seymour Cray Obituary by John Markoff (1996)” · View on HN