Copenhagen, Denmark-based, Dansk Data Elektronik A/S, the parallel processing systems builder, has come out with MIPS Technologies Inc R4000SC-based upgrade boards for its R3000 SuperMax machines. When it gets the parts, Dansk Data claims it will be the first manufacturer to produce a multi-processing system based upon the 50MHz R4000 – it’s aiming for deliveries by year-end. The R4000 SuperMax comes in an eight-CPU configuration and incorporates up to eight disk controllers, 20Gb disk and can support up to 1,000 workstations – prices start go from UKP30,000 to UKP300,000. All applications running on the existing SuperMaxes will run on the R4000 systems. SuperMax is a loosely-coupled parallel arrangement, which, unlike tightly-coupled affairs, doesn’t channel all transactions into the same memory space. This allows for linear power increments, depending on the number of CPUs configured in the system, says the firm. Dansk Data is also said to be working on a SuperMax system based on the multi-processing version of the R4000 for the beginning of next year. The next-generation MIPS R5000 and R10000 architectures will also likely be supported in future SuperMaxes. Dansk Data, which is targeting the traditional mainframe market, claims to have 2,500 SuperMax sites across Europe.
