Silicon Graphics Inc is likely to review its decision to sell supercomputers to India after the US commerce department prepares to issue a notice which will identify dual use computers. The department’s notice will seek a prolonged ban on the sale of supercomputers to India which could benefit its nuclear program (hence the name dual use). The sale of the supercomputers to India has been on hold since May 11, 1998. Silicon Graphic’s Power Challenge, along with Cray Computer Corp’s Cray’s J196 and Digital Equipment Corp’s Alpha 18400 are some of the supercomputer models that India buys frequently through global tenders. Recently, the sale of IBM Corp’s SP2 computers to the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore sparked a controversy in the US media, following a Washington Post report that alleged the machines would be used by India for its nuclear program.
