1964
The Emergence of Mainframe Computers
*** Industry Trends ***
IBM announced the System 360 in 1964, This was a general-purpose computer integrating business processing and scientific computing, offering a family of machines—from small to large—all running under a single operating system. It marked the beginning of the so-called mainframe. The practice of calling 8 bits a byte also originated with this system. It was also known as the third generation of computers. The success of the System/360 had a profound impact on the global computer industry, leading many companies to begin offering IBM-compatible midrange computers around 1970. The System 360 initially used transistors at launch, but adopted hybrid ICs for its logic circuits from the mid-1960s onward as IC technology stabilized. Thereafter, computers and semiconductor integrated circuits evolved in tandem, synergistically driving market expansion.
【References】
- Semiconductor History Museum of Japan, Industry Trends, "1966: Establishment of the Ultra-High-Performance Electronic Computer Research Association under the government's industrial development policy"
https://www.shmj.or.jp/en/industry-trends/it196007e.html
Ver.001: 2026/2/1