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Sep 29, 2026 · Industry Insights

Thinking Machines: Topping the TOP500, Then Bankrupt in 14 Months

Thinking Machines dominated the first TOP500 supercomputer list in 1993 with its CM-5 systems, but collapsed 14 months later due to reliance on a single government buyer, the rise of commodity RISC clusters, and the lack of a commercial parallel software ecosystem.