Cray Q2 Supercomputer at Minnesota Supercomputer Center (1986)

The Digibarn has in its collection a very rare Cray Q2 Supercomputer, the prototype in between the Cray 1 and Cray 2. The Cray-2 series began with Q1, then Q2 and then the production units at serial numbers 2001, 2002 etc. The Cray Q2 was installed at the Minnesota Supercomputer Center and thanks to Jim Curry we have a photo of the unit installed there, next to a full Cray 2. The Q2 went to a service bureau in the Minneapolis area and was last operated by Brad Blasing who describes its life here.

See the Q2 at the Minnesota Supercomputer Center in 1986

See the Q2 at the Minnesota Supercomputer Center in 1986 (Full Center View)

Comments from Brad Blasing

That is snQ2. That is our place - I still work there. The company name
was "Minnesota Supercomputer Center" at that time (since renamed). I can
name almost all people in the photograph.

snQ2 is sitting next to sn2003, a full-size 4 processor Cray-2. You can
see the columns that it used to have behind snQ2. sn2003 was later traded out
for sn2021, which we still have in our basement.

Way off to the far right, you can see a Control Data Cyber 205.

See Also:

Our full site on the Cray Q2

Brad Blasing on the Cray Q2 and Cray 1

Our Cray 1 and other Cray artifacts at the DigiBarn