Cray Shasta Sparks New AI Research Program at Indiana University

Supercomputer “Big Red 200” Will Be The First Cray Shasta System In Academia


SEATTLE, June 07, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global supercomputer leader Cray Inc. (Nasdaq:CRAY) today announced that Indiana University has selected a Cray Shasta™ supercomputing system to advance the use of artificial intelligence (AI) across diverse research fields at the university and for the state of Indiana. Indiana University will be the first university to deploy a Shasta system, the Cray Slingshot™ interconnect and Cray Urika® AI Suite for Shasta, providing its engineers, researchers and scientists powerful resources for the next era of computing. Named “Big Red 200,” the new supercomputer will be instrumental in the University’s exploration and advancement of AI in education, cybersecurity, medicine, environmental science and more.

“The new Cray Shasta system is a necessary addition to support Indiana University’s future research endeavors in solving some of the most pressing challenges facing the people of Indiana and our world. We’ve entered an age where AI is poised to transform the future of many industries–from healthcare to cybersecurity–and we’re confident the latest technology from Cray will meet our needs for a computing infrastructure that will build on the promise of AI in Indiana,” said Brad Wheeler, VP for information technology and CIO at Indiana University. “AI brings a whole new level of insight to our researchers and with Big Red 200, we look forward to uncovering more ways we can use AI to solve societal challenges, scientific queries and further education.”

Big Red 200, named to celebrate the University’s bicentennial, will replace its predecessor, the “Big Red II” a Cray XK7™ supercomputer. With new high-performance computing capabilities, including 2nd generation AMD EPYC™ processors, the new Cray Shasta supercomputer will be the platform for researchers to advance the use of AI across diverse research areas and in the University’s three Grand Challenges initiative to solve local as well as global issues: Precision Health, Prepared for Environmental Change, and Responding to the Addictions Crisis.

“We’re honored to partner with Indiana University and support their critical AI research program,” said Peter Ungaro, CEO at Cray. “Big Red 200 is a shining example of how the same technology in our new Shasta supercomputer architecture that powers the world’s largest exascale systems can be put to work in the University’s datacenter to meet their research objectives. With a Cray Shasta system Indiana University is equipped with a unique solution that blends the best of supercomputing and cloud technologies to help them achieve breakthrough results in AI.”

About Cray Inc.
Cray Inc. (Nasdaq:CRAY) combines computation and creativity so visionaries can keep asking questions that challenge the limits of possibility. Drawing on more than 45 years of experience, Cray develops the world’s most advanced supercomputers, pushing the boundaries of performance, efficiency and scalability. Cray continues to innovate today at the convergence of data and discovery, offering a comprehensive portfolio of supercomputers, high-performance storage, data analytics and artificial intelligence solutions.  Go to www.cray.com for more information.

Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, including, but not limited to, statements related to Cray’s ability to deliver a system that meets Indiana University’s requirements. These statements involve current expectations, forecasts of future events and other statements that are not historical facts. Inaccurate assumptions and known and unknown risks and uncertainties can affect the accuracy of forward-looking statements and cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated by these forward-looking statements. Factors that could affect actual future events or results include, but are not limited to, the risk that the system required by Indiana University is not delivered in a timely fashion or does not perform as expected and such other risks as identified in the Company’s quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2019, and from time to time in other reports filed by Cray with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. You should not rely unduly on these forward-looking statements, which apply only as of the date of this release. Cray undertakes no duty to publicly announce or report revisions to these statements as new information becomes available that may change the Company’s expectations.

CRAY, Shasta, Slingshot, Urika, and XK7 are registered trademarks of Cray Inc. in the United States and other countries. Other product and service names mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners.

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