Editing Killer micro

A '''killer micro''' is a [[microprocessor]]-based machine that infringes on [[minicomputer|mini]], [[mainframe computer|mainframe]], or [[supercomputer]] performance turf. It originally referred to the replacement of [[Vector processor|vector supercomputers]] built with bipolar technology by [[Massively parallel (computing)|Massively Parallel Processors (MPP)]] assembled from a larger number of lower performing microprocessors.  These systems faced initial skepticism, based on the assumption that applications do not have significant parallelism, because of [[Amdahl's law]], but the success of early systems such as [[nCUBE]] and the fast progress in microprocessor performance following [[Moore's law]] led to a fast replacement.

Taken from the title of Eugene Brooks' (of [[Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory|Lawrence Livermore Lab]]) talk  "'''Attack of the Killer Micros'''" at Supercomputing 1990. This title was probably chosen after the ''[[Attack of the Killer Tomatoes]]'' [[cult film]].

==External links==
* [https://www.nytimes.com/1991/05/06/business/the-attack-of-the-killer-micros.html The Attack of the 'Killer Micros']

[[Category:Microcomputers]]
[[Category:Supercomputers]]


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