Seymour Cray
Father of supercomputing and founder of Cray Research
- Lived
- 71 yrs
- 1925 – 1996
- Works listed
- 2
- Supercomputer
- Honours
- 2
- Most recent 1989
- Profile views
- 2
- 0 followers
Seymour Cray was an American engineer who designed the fastest computers in the world for three decades. His CDC 6600 (1964) is considered the first supercomputer, and the Cray-1 (1976), built by his company Cray Research, became an icon of high-performance computing.
Biography
Early career
Cray served as a radio operator in the Second World War, studied electrical engineering and applied mathematics at the University of Minnesota and joined Engineering Research Associates, where he worked on early computers.
Control Data
In 1957 he co-founded Control Data Corporation. Working in a quiet laboratory near his home in Chippewa Falls, he designed the CDC 6600, which in 1964 was about three times faster than any other computer and is regarded as the first supercomputer.
Cray Research
He founded Cray Research in 1972. Its Cray-1 of 1976, with a distinctive C-shaped tower and padded bench seating around it, used vector processing and became the best-known supercomputer of its era. The Cray-2 followed in 1985.
Later life
Cray left to found Cray Computer Corporation and later SRC Computers. He died in 1996 after a car accident.
Timeline
-
1925
Born in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, United States
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1950
Joins Engineering Research Associates
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1957
Co-founds Control Data Corporation
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1964
CDC 6600
-
1972
Founds Cray Research
-
1976
Cray-1 delivered to Los Alamos
-
1985
Cray-2
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1996
Dies after a car accident
-
1996
Died, aged 71
Notable works
-
1964
CDC 6600 Supercomputer
-
1976
Cray-1 Supercomputer
Awards and honours
-
W. Wallace McDowell Award
1968
-
Eckert–Mauchly Award
1989
Did you know?
-
1
He said he dug a tunnel under his house as a way of thinking through problems.
-
2
The Cray-1’s curved shape kept the wires short to reduce delays.
-
3
IBM’s chairman Thomas Watson Jr. famously asked how a team of 34 people could beat IBM.
Connections
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Frequently asked
Who is Seymour Cray?
Seymour Cray was an American engineer who designed the fastest computers in the world for three decades. His CDC 6600 (1964) is considered the first supercomputer, and the Cray-1 (1976), built by his company Cray Research, became an icon of high-performance computing.
When did Seymour Cray die?
Seymour Cray died on 5 October 1996 at the age of 71.
Where is Seymour Cray from?
Seymour Cray was born in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, United States.
What is Seymour Cray known for?
Seymour Cray is best known for CDC 6600; Cray-1; Cray Research; supercomputers.
What awards has Seymour Cray received?
Notable honours include W. Wallace McDowell Award (1968), Eckert–Mauchly Award (1989).
References
- Seymour Cray — Wikipedia. Wikipedia. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Seymour Cray — Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Seymour Cray (Q92765) — structured data. Wikidata. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
Includes material from the Wikipedia article “Seymour Cray”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. That text is available under the same licence. Learn more
External links
About this profile
- Researched by the TrackFame editorial team; reviewed by Sanjay Sokal under our editorial policy
- First published 4 November 2026
- Last updated
Cite this page
“Seymour Cray.” TrackFame, last updated 5 November 2026. https://trackfame.com/person/seymour-cray
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