The dictionary definition cited in the article confirms that the term "Big Iron" usually refers to High Performance Computing ("supercomputers" as opposed to da

The dictionary definition cited in the article confirms that the term "Big Iron" usually refers to High Performance Computing ("supercomputers" as opposed to database servers): "Used generally of number-crunching supercomputers such as Crays" The question is still interesting, why does Big Iron still exist in High Performance Computing? I'm not completely up to speed, but I think the reason has a lot to do with specialized network interconnects, such as three-dimensional toroidal interconnects [1] ... These specialized interconnects differentiate "Big Iron" from commodity clusters. Another differentiating feature relates to memory, such as very large memory capacities and unique memory hierarchies using NVM, SSDs, etc. A third possibility is very large CPU socket capacities, going beyond the standard dual-socket or quad-socket configurations. This type of technology can certainly play a role in databases and it sheds some light on the "database appliance" trend (integrated hardware/software solutions). [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torus_interconnect https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torus_interconnect