Clustering of RISC computers is seen as a promising new area of activity and Hewlett-Packard Co and Convex Computer Corp are reportedly studying an expansion of their alliance to include the joint development of a clustered computing environment for Hewlett-Packard’s Precision Architecture RISC workstations. The clusters would also use the Richardson, Texas minisupercomputer builder’s C series scientific multiprocessors as servers, with the target market being high-end engineering customers that need supercomputer-level performance. Convex is developing a Scalable Coherent Interface high-speed bus to link processors in a future generation of its machines, and this is likely to be used to link the workstations to the C-series machines in the cluster. Hewlett-Packard agreed to take a small stake in Convex earlier this year under an agreement that includes Convex using the Precision Architecture RISC family in a massively-parallel computer system it is designing, and also involves each company taking some of the other’s products on an OEM basis. The latter part of the wide-ranging agreement has not yet been consummated.
