1969
Expansion of Japan's LSI Industry driven by Calculators
*** Industry Trends ***
Even after the advent of computers beginning with the ENIAC in 1945, mechanical calculators used for accounting and similar tasks remained widely employed. The origin of the electronical calculator is considered to be the vacuum tube-based calculator developed by Bell Pinch (UK) in 1961. In 1964, Japanese companies Sharp, Sony, and Canon developed transistorized versions of this calculator [1], and in 1966, Sharp announced the world's first IC calculator [2], paving the way for Japanese companies to dominate the business calculator market. In 1967, TI proposed the pocket calculator, prompting Japanese calculator manufacturers to pursue market expansion through personal calculators. The pioneer in this effort was Sharp's first LSI calculator, the QT-8D [3], released in 1969. Subsequently, in the early 1970s, Canon and Vicon released their own pocket calculators. The semiconductors for calculators used by these three companies were PMOS-LSIs, with Sharp outsourcing production to Rockwell, Canon to TI, and Busicom to MOSTEC (TI and MOSTEC were single-chip LSIs). Japanese semiconductor industry participated in the transition to transistor and IC technologies for calculators but is said to have been cautious about LSI integration. The success of these LSI calculators led Japanese semiconductor manufacturers, starting with Hitachi beginning production for Sharp in 1970, to enter the production of LSI for calculators. Together with TI, they became the major suppliers of LSI for calculators. Toshiba developed a CMOS single-chip LSI for Sharp in 1972 [4]. Driven by the expansion of the calculator market led by Japanese calculator manufacturers, calculator LSIs accounted for approximately 40% of Japan's LSI production in the early 1970s, propelling the growth of Japan's semiconductor industry.
【References】
- Semiconductor History Museum of Japan, Application Products, "March, 1964: Japan's first electronic desktop calculator released"
https://www.shmj.or.jp/english/appproducts/app60s.html - Semiconductor History Museum of Japan, Integrated Circuits, "Mid-1960s: Mass-production of ICs for calculators begins"
https://www.shmj.or.jp/english/pdf/ic/exhibi720E.pdf - Semiconductor History Museum of Japan, Integrated Circuits, "1969: Production of PMOS LSIs for calculators begins"
https://www.shmj.or.jp/english/pdf/ic/exhibi722E.pdf - Semiconductor History Museum of Japan, Integrated Circuits, "1972 to 1973: CMOS LSI circuits for calculators"
https://www.shmj.or.jp/english/pdf/ic/exhibi707E.pdf
Ver.001: 2026/2/1