NEC has added another system to its vector supercomputer family with the launch of the SX-8R.

The company said that the SX-8R has twice the performance per processor compared to the previous SX-8, introduced in 2004.

Vector computers process data faster than mainstream 'scalar' machines that dominate the conventional computer market.

The SX-8R processors have double the amount of features for performing tasks such as addition and multiplication, and have a clock speed that is 10 per cent faster than its predecessor's chips. The SX-8R costs at least $10,200 (£5,450) per month just to rent and NEC said it expects to sell 200 systems over the next year.