The Road to 64-Bit Computing: IBM's Persistent Pursuit

IBM's pursuit of 64-bit computing has been a decades-long journey, with the company consistently pushing the boundaries of innovation in the field. Dr. Frank Soltis, the chief scientist of IBM's AS/400, emphasized that migrating 32-bit applications to a 64-bit environment is a complex task that requires significant effort and rewriting of existing applications. Despite this challenge, IBM has made significant progress in 64-bit computing, with the company running over 25,000 programs on its 64-bit technology since 1994.

Key Takeaways:

• IBM has been committed to 64-bit computing since 1994, with Dr. Frank Soltis highlighting the complexity of migrating 32-bit applications to a 64-bit environment.
• The company has been running over 25,000 programs on its 64-bit technology on the AS/400 since 1994, which has been rebranded as "The Extreme Machine."
• IBM's goals for 64-bit computing include creating powerful computing platforms by combining two 64-bit microprocessors into one system.
• The company has to balance the need to innovate with the reality of customer needs, with Dr. Soltis stating, "We could have come out with the 64-bit technology way ahead, but our customers did not need it back then."
• IBM's focus on 64-bit computing has also led to other innovations, such as the PowerPC architecture, which Dr. Soltis led the team that designed.

Statistics:

• Over 25,000 programs have been running on IBM's 64-bit technology on the AS/400 since 1994.
• The company has been committed to 64-bit computing for over 25 years.
• 64-bit Unix operating systems have been in use for years, but IBM was first to implement 64-bit RISC (reduced instruction set computers) processors in the 1970s.
• IBM's PowerPC architecture was designed by Dr. Soltis and his team, and has been used in various IBM products, including the RS-6000.

Sources:

• "Newsbytes.com" (July 2000)
• "Inside the AS/400" by Dr. Frank Soltis