Multiprocessing
Cray designed many supercomputers that used multiprocessing heavily.
Some computers may divide their work between one or more separate CPUs, creating a multiprocessing configuration. Traditionally, this technique was utilized only in large and powerful computers such as supercomputers, mainframe computers, and servers. However, multiprocessor and multi-core (dual-core and quad-core) personal and laptop computers have become widely available and are beginning to see increased usage in lower-end markets as a result.
Supercomputers in particular often have highly unique architectures that differ significantly from the basic stored-program architecture and from general-purpose computers. (However, it is also very common to construct supercomputers out of many pieces of cheap commodity hardware; usually, individual computers connected by networks. These so-called computer clusters can often provide supercomputer performance at a much lower cost than customized designs. They often feature thousands of CPUs, customized high-speed interconnects, and specialized computing hardware. Such designs tend to be useful only for specialized tasks due to the large scale of program organization required to successfully utilize most of the available resources at once. Supercomputers usually see usage in large-scale simulation, graphics rendering, and cryptography applications.
