The free time on the center's Cray II and Cyber 205 supercomputers was made available after NSF gave center president John Sell two days' notice in mid-February that his facility would receive no more funding. Sell hopes that the state's congressmen, led by Rep. Martin Sabo (DMinn.), will somehow find federal money to support the center and its clients, but he admits the outlook is "gloomy."
Minnesota was one of three university sites chosen in 1984 in the first phase of NSF's effort to establish a national supercomputing network. In 1985 NSF selected five other sites for the second phase of its program, and notified Minnesota, Purdue and Colorado State universities that NSF support would end when their two-year grants expired. Minnesota obtained an extension into 1987, but the $1 million it was given (out of a request for $6.5 million) was used up quickly because of the heavy demand ...
