The Y-MP could be equipped with two, four or eight vector processors, with two functional units each and a clock cycle time of 6 ns (167 MHz).
The system could be configured with one or two Model D IOSs (Input/Output Subsystems) and an optional Solid State Disk (SSD) of 256 MB to 4GB capacity.
This was a reimplementation of the Y-MP architecture in CMOS technology, based on the S-2 design acquired by Cray from Supertek Computers in 1990.
In the 1992 film Sneakers, whose story is centered around extremely high-level cryptography, two lead characters have an important discussion while sitting on a Cray Y-MP.
In an episode of the television dramedy Northern Exposure titled "Nothing's Perfect", a character expresses her excitement at having finally gained access to a "CRAY Y-MP3" supercomputer.