With Cray, Intel Seeks Greater Supercomputer Share

Microprocessor giant Intel (NSDQ: INTC) has struck a deal with supercomputer maker Cray to bolster Intel's share of the market for the highest of high-end computers, executives said Monday.

Cray and Intel unveiled a multiyear deal to build the next generation of high-performance computers capable of processing petaflops -- quadrillions of machine instructions a second -- or twice the power of the world's top existing supercomputer.

While Intel supplies a wide range of supercomputer makers, working with Cray helps ensure Intel will be inside more of the world's top 10 most-powerful computers, where boasting rights to having the fastest machines are in constant flux.