The design of the MasPar MP-1: a cost effective massively parallel computer

The design and implementation of the MasPar MP-1 are described. It is a general-purpose massively parallel computer system that achieves peak computation rates beyond a billion floating point operations per second yet is priced like a minicomputer. The architecture of the MP-1 is scalable in a way that permits its computational power to be increased along two axes: the performance of each processor and the number of processors. This feasibility is well matched to VLSI technology where circuit densities continue to increase at a rapid rate. The scalable nature of massively parallel systems protects the customers' software investment while providing an increasing performance in successive products. The array control unit, processor array, processor elements, memory, X-Net mesh interconnect, and multistage crossbar interconnect are discussed.>