Own a Piece of Computing History: Rare Cray Supercomputers at Auction

Head Auctioneer Gareth Wasp & Junior Auctioneer William Walter With Cray T-932

A fantastic and exceptional opportunity has arisen at RWB Auctions; we are delighted to present a highly specialist month-long timed sale of three historic and rare Cray Supercomputers.

The sale features a Cray Research Cray Triton T-932 Supercomputer System, The First Cray T3D Supercomputer, and a Cray Research Cray Y-MP4E Supercomputer.

Cray Research Cray Triton T-932 Supercomputer System

• One of only 20 units manufactured, with only a few still surviving
• Regarded as one of the final great Cray vector supercomputers
• One of the final immersion-cooled systems produced by the company
• This system was reportedly installed originally at GCHQ

The First Cray T3D Supercomputer

• First of the T3D model line ever produced, with serial number 6001
• Known as "Typhoon" and originally designed for advanced scientific and engineering workloads.
• This system marked a major turning point in supercomputing history as Cray Research moved from traditional vector systems into massively parallel processing architecture
• Previously installed at the Edinburgh Parallel Computing Centre at the University of Edinburgh

Cray Research Cray Y-MP4E Supercomputer

• Serial number 1904, configured with three Cray parallel vector processors
• This supercomputer mainframe is split into two cabinets
• This model belonged to the great lineage of vector supercomputers that defined advanced scientific computing in the late 1980s and early 1990s
• Previously acted as the front-end system for the Edinburgh T3D installation at the Edinburgh Parallel Computing Centre

The supercomputers come to us from a self-confessed "IT nerd" who has had an interest in IT, especially supercomputers, since he was a child, Dan Goldsmith. 

"I was a bit of an IT nerd growing up. I was offered this old mainframe as a joke because nobody thought I'd actually take it. But I did, and I ran it in my home for about three years. I could only have it switched on for half an hour at a time because the room got too hot!"

He went on to build his own IT company, and all the while, aspired to own a Cray supercomputer. The opportunity to own one first arose when Dan was able to secure a Cray that was on its way to be scrapped by the University of Edinburgh. Through strong will and carefully considered logistics, he managed to transport it down from Scotland. He then went on to acquire another Cray, which he bought as a shell, as it had been stripped down and disabled before being disposed of. He worked with Cray engineers to restore it and bring it back to its former glory.

"These machines completely changed the direction of supercomputing. When I first read about them as a teenager, they felt almost mythical. To actually own them was something I never imagined would happen."

Now that he is fast approaching retirement, coupled with Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen's sale of his collection last year, which included a Cray supercomputer that broke the record for the highest hammer price for any historic computer sold at auction, Dan has decided that the time is right to sell the supercomputers to the next generation of Cray enthusiasts, with the intention of them being preserved for future generations to come.

Gareth Wasp, our Head Auctioneer, had this to say:

"This is one of the most unusual collections we've handled at RWB Auctions. The historical significance of the machines, alongside Dan's personal story and the effort that has gone into preserving them over the years, makes this a really fascinating sale. We're expecting interest from collectors and institutions both in the UK and internationally."

The Cray Supercomputers Sale is being hosted exclusively on the global platform The Saleroom for a month to ensure buyers from all over the world have the opportunity to review the listings and leave their bids with plenty of time for queries, condition reports, additional photo requests and potential viewings. 

The sale is currently live on The Saleroom and will run until 6pm BST on Sunday 31st May. 

For any queries or to book a viewing appointment, please email office@rwbauctions.com or call 01793 840777.