The Data Transport Computer: a 3-dimensional massively parallel SIMD computer

The author describes a computer that has been built primarily to support both three-dimensional simulation of physical phenomena, as well as other applications that require three-dimensional models, and visualization of the results as volume data. This computer is a massively parallel single-instruction-stream, multiple-data-stream (SIMD) machine whose processors are interconnected in a three-dimensional rectangular lattice, together with a controller that extends this lattice to a virtual lattice with many more nodes than there are processors. It is called the Data Transport Computer because its interprocessor communication structure is capable of moving large amounts of data in parallel-not only among its processors, but also to and from I/O devices.<>