A History of Innovation at Silicon Graphics

Silicion Graphics, Inc (SGI) started returning to form in 2007-2008 after some ill-advised forays into high-powered computing that took it away from what it does best, what it had always done: graphics, of course. Especially performance graphics.

When SGI introduced its Virtue VN200 (which featured the full integration of the latest generation of NVIDIA Quadro FX) in early 2008, a new revolution had begun. This was an integration of software, hardware, and services into one highly scalable visual solution adding some very sweet dynamic capabilities to SGI's Altix, Altix XE, and Altix ICE systems. It became clear that as the world is moving headlong into visual dominance and 3D applications we could expect these guys to take a dominant role in turning virtual reality into everyday reality. The super-advanced immersive visualization coupled with real-time decision making that used to be science fiction they are making into science fact.

I mean, let's recall what these guys have done:

*SGI designed the first digital prototype of the planet's biggest commercial airplane
*They built the planet's first VR gaming center
*They built the first visual immersion mainframe workstation used to design war ships
*They had the video gaming industry's first 64-bit system which they produced in conjunction with Nintendo
*They were the first to create an atomic-level simulation of a functional organism
*They produced Academy Award-winning special effects eight years in a row, including for the Lord of the Rings trilogy of films

In biosciences, in computational chemistry, in fluid dynamics, in digital cinema mastering, in medical and pharmaceutical research, in television production, in weather and environmental forecasting, and in many other areas, Silicon Graphics has provided cutting-edge solutions. Their graphics technology is all over the place in the industries of energy, engineering, research science, and even government, and they have revolutionized corporate R&D. SGI is a member of the SAP LinuxLab, so they don't have conflicts of interest with the people they serve. Instead, scalability, versatility, and cost-effectiveness are what they constantly seek to implement.

In business, Silicon Graphics' visual computational capabilities get you real-time responsiveness and decision-making, hardware consolidation for simplification and financial savings, and more access to open source solutions since 1992's OpenGL was released (and now has so permeated the computer industry that it's got only one true competitor: Miscrosoft's DirectX).

Their 1600SW flatscreen LCD monitor was introduced back in 1998 and today it's still sought out all over the place--that's really standing the test of time in an industry that tends to make new things obsolete in less than two years (I own one, too).

So, if you haven't known why talk of SGI can really geek out certain people, perhaps now you understand.