"Austin has a very strong high-tech community in both hardware and software and provides a deep pool of technology and engineering talent", stated Peg Williams, senior vice president of research and development at Cray. "We look forward to becoming part of the community and, at the same time, advancing Cray's leading-edge technological strength and innovation in HPC."

Austin's status as a technology hub, the close proximity to a number of strategic development partners and the University of Texas, with its strong computer science and computer engineering programmes, were key factors in the company's decision to open a facility in the area.

Located at 6200 Bridgepoint Parkway, engineers in the new Austin office will focus on developing boards and custom ASICs for Cray's high-end custom supercomputers, along with supporting future software development.

In addition to the new Austin office, Cray has engineering facilities in Seattle, Mendota Heights, Minnesota and Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. Cray's corporate headquarters are located in Seattle.