Source : Free On-Line Dictionary of Computing

Deep Blue
     
         A super computer developed by researchers at {IBM}
        to explore the use of {parallel processing} to solve complex
        computing problems.  It is known as the first computer to beat
        the current chess World Grand Master.
     
        Deep Blue started it's life as a PhD project at {Carnegie
        Mellon University} by PhD students Feng-hsiung Hsu and Murray
        Campbell.  Chiptest, as it was known then, consisted of a
        custom designed chip hosted in a {Sun} 3/160 computer.
     
        The project moved over to IBM in 1989 when Hsu and Campbell
        joined IBM.  {Deep Thought}, as it was known by then, played
        for the first time against Garry Kasparov in the same year.
        The game of two matches was easily won by Kasparov.
     
        The next match against Kasparov took place in February 1996.
        By then the machine was again renamed, at that time it was
        known as Deep Blue.  It was also heavily re-engineered: it was
        by then running on a 32-node {RS/6000} cluster, each
        containing 8 custom designed chips.  Alas, Kasparov won again.
     
        The breakthrough finally happened in February 1997: with both
        the algorithm and the raw speed significantly improved, Deep
        Blue beat Kasparov 3.5:2.5.
     
        {HOME (http://www.chess.ibm.com)}.
     
        (1997-06-16)