Silicon Graphics—A Pioneer in Computer Graphics

Specialized in High Performance Computer Graphics

Silicon Graphics, Inc. (SGI) was a company that specialized in high-performance computer graphics, visualization, and computing. The company was founded in 1981 by Jim Clark and a group of engineers who had worked together at the Stanford Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. The company's first product was the IRIS 1000, a graphics workstation that was able to display 3D computer graphics in real-time.

Complex 3D Images in Real Time

SGI's early success was due to its ability to create high-performance graphics systems that were able to display complex 3D images in real-time. The company's systems were used in a variety of industries, including film, television, aerospace, and scientific research. SGI's technology was used to create special effects for movies such as Jurassic Park, Titanic, and The Matrix.

Expanded to Include Supercomputers and Servers

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, SGI began to expand its product line to include supercomputers and servers. The company's supercomputers were used in scientific research, including weather forecasting and simulations of nuclear explosions. SGI's servers were used in government and corporate data centers.

IRIX Was Widely Used in the Film and TV Industry

In 1992, SGI released the IRIS Indigo, a high-performance workstation that ran the IRIX operating system. IRIX was a version of the UNIX operating system that was optimized for SGI's hardware. IRIX was known for its advanced graphics capabilities and was widely used in the film and television industry.

Financial Troubles

In the late 1990s, SGI faced increased competition from companies such as Sun Microsystems and Hewlett-Packard. SGI struggled to adapt to the changing market and began to focus more on the consumer market. The company released the SGI O2, a consumer-oriented workstation that was designed to be used in the home or small office. The SGI O2 was not a success and SGI's financial troubles worsened many of its long-time customers.

Bankruptcy in 2006

In the early 2000s, SGI began to focus on the government and corporate market. The company released a number of high-performance servers, including the Altix and the Origin. However, SGI's financial troubles continued and the company filed for bankruptcy in 2006.

Acquired by HPE in 2016

Silicon Graphics International Corporation was purchased by Hewlett Packard Enterprise in 2016.  The company's wide range of services, such as high-performance computing, big data analytics and visualization, and cloud computing has been folded into the massive HPE ecosystem.

A Pioneer in Computer Graphics and Computing

In summary, Silicon Graphics was a company that specialized in high-performance computer graphics, visualization, and computing. The company was known for its advanced graphics systems, which were used in a variety of industries, including film, television, aerospace, and scientific research. SGI's technology was used to create special effects for movies such as Jurassic Park, Titanic, and The Matrix. Despite its early success, SGI struggled to adapt to the changing market in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and the company filed for bankruptcy in 2006. Nowadays, Silicon Graphics International Corporation and its technology lives on in HPE.

Image by Andreas Lischka from Pixabay 

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