Since 1969
NTT has actively promoted the development of LSIs for information and communications.
*** Industry Trends ***
In 1969, a joint development project involving four companies—NEC, Hitachi, Fujitsu, and the Electronic Communications Laboratory as the lead—began with the goal of developing the DIPS (Dendenkousha Information Processing System), a computer capable of processing data communications to provide diverse electronic communication services. This project was launched by NTT (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Public Corporation), overriding opposition from the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI), which had established the Ultra-High-Speed Electronic Computer Research Association [1] in 1966. NTT aimed to develop a nationwide data communication network service integrating telecommunications and computers starting around 1964. First, in 1965, it collaborated with NEC, Hitachi, Fujitsu, and Oki Electric to develop an electronic telephone exchanger system using 4k MOS memory. Then, in 1968, it launched a dedicated data communication service over telephone lines capable of handling large volumes of data. Simultaneously (in 1968), preparations began for the independent development of large-scale online computers necessary for various nationwide data communication services, and this project was officially launched in 1969. The decision to pursue independent development stemmed from the recognition that the commercial mainframe systems used by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry's early research consortium were insufficient for online information processing within the nationwide data communication system connecting terminal devices of varying sizes. Consequently, a prototype of the DIPS-1 was developed in 1971 and began operation in 1972. In this project, the achievements of the Ultra-High-Speed Electronic Computer Research Association were shared among the mainframe project's various elements. However, unique to the DIPS-1 itself were pioneering approaches and technologies developed worldwide, such as the combination of a four-machine multiprocessor system, 16MB of DRAM main memory, local memory, and paging. Semiconductor development was particularly emphasized, leading the advancement of Japanese semiconductor technology in the 1970s as it moved toward VLSI. Among these, the adoption of NMOS cache memory [2] in mainframe was pioneering. The DIPS project continued thereafter, advancing the development of 64K DRAM, 256 LDRAM, and CMOS CPUs, preceding the 1975 Ultra LSI Research Association [3].
【References】
- Semiconductor History Museum of Japan, Industry Trends, "1966: Establishment of the Ultra-High-Performance Electronic Computer Research Association"
https://www.shmj.or.jp/en/industry-trends/it196007e.html - Semiconductor History Museum of Japan, Integrated Circuits, "Late 1960s: Beginnings of MOS memory"
https://www.shmj.or.jp/english/pdf/ic/exhibi718E.pdf - Semiconductor History Museum of Japan, Industry Trends, "1975: Establishment of the VLSI Technology Research Association"
https://www.shmj.or.jp/english/trends/trd70s.html
Ver.001: 2026/2/1