# XP/S140
**Wikidata**: [Q69955197](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q69955197)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/xp-s140

## Summary
XP/S140 was a supercomputer developed by Intel and operated by Sandia National Laboratories, ranking as the world's fastest system in June 1994. It was based on Intel's i860 XP processors and achieved a peak performance of 184 gigaflops.

## Key Facts
- Inception: 1994
- Manufacturer: Intel
- Part of: Sandia National Laboratories
- Operating system: OSF/1
- Architecture: Torus interconnect
- Country: United States
- Top500 rankings: #1 (June 1994), #2 (November 1994), #3 (June 1996), #4 (November 1996), #12 (June 1997), #18 (November 1997), #28 (June 1998), #36 (November 1998)
- Processor cores: 3,680
- Performance: 143.4 gigaflops (Rmax), 184 gigaflops (Rpeak)
- Service retirement: November 1998

## FAQs
### Q: What was the XP/S140's peak performance?
A: The XP/S140 achieved a peak performance of 184 gigaflops (Rpeak) and a sustained performance of 143.4 gigaflops (Rmax) when it was ranked #1 on the TOP500 list in June 1994.

### Q: Who manufactured the XP/S140 supercomputer?
A: Intel manufactured the XP/S140 supercomputer, which was based on their i860 XP processor technology.

### Q: Where was the XP/S140 located?
A: The XP/S140 was located at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States.

## Why It Matters
The XP/S140 represents a significant milestone in supercomputing history as it was the first system to achieve over 100 gigaflops of sustained performance, marking a major breakthrough in computational capability. As the world's fastest supercomputer in 1994, it demonstrated the potential of massively parallel processing using commodity processors (Intel's i860 XP) rather than custom-designed supercomputer processors. This system helped establish Intel as a serious player in the high-performance computing market and influenced the development of future massively parallel systems. The XP/S140's success at Sandia National Laboratories also highlighted the growing importance of computational simulation in scientific research and national security applications, where such computational power was essential for complex modeling and analysis tasks.

## Notable For
- First supercomputer to achieve over 100 gigaflops of sustained performance
- World's fastest supercomputer in June 1994
- Based on Intel's i860 XP processor, pioneering the use of commodity processors in supercomputing
- Maintained TOP500 ranking for over four years, demonstrating longevity in the rapidly evolving supercomputing field
- Part of Sandia National Laboratories' advanced computing capabilities for national security research

## Body
### Technical Specifications
The XP/S140 was built using Intel's i860 XP processor, a RISC-based microprocessor designed for high-performance computing applications. The system featured 3,680 processor cores arranged in a torus interconnect topology, which provided efficient communication between processors for parallel computing tasks.

### Performance History
The system achieved its highest ranking of #1 on the TOP500 list in June 1994, with benchmark results of 143.4 gigaflops (Rmax) and 184 gigaflops (Rpeak). It maintained a position in the top 5 systems for over two years, dropping to #2 in November 1994, then to #3 in June 1996, and #4 in November 1996. The system remained in the top 40 for over four years, finally dropping out of the top 36 in November 1998 when it was retired.

### Operating Environment
The XP/S140 ran OSF/1, a variant of the Unix operating system developed by the Open Software Foundation. This choice of operating system provided the necessary support for managing the complex parallel processing tasks that the system was designed to handle.

### Institutional Context
As part of Sandia National Laboratories, the XP/S140 was used for various national security and scientific computing applications. Sandia, established in 1949 and located at Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, New Mexico, employs approximately 16,988 people and operates as one of the United States' primary national laboratories for nuclear weapons research and development, as well as other advanced scientific computing applications.

## References

1. [TOP500](https://top500.org/site/48748/)
2. [TOP500](https://top500.org/system/172538/)