坂村健 is a member of the Japanese government’s IT think tank. He is best known for his idea of “computing everywhere” at the age of 29 (1980). The core is to build Japan’s own operating system and CPU. Open strategy to build an ecosystem.
If the idea of Sakamura is successful, then the leading IT industry will develop in Japan. Japan will not only dominate DRAM, the core component of the computer, but will also dominate the CPU and operating system that will arise later. The entire Blue Star IT cake will become a Japanese dish.
Japanese companies such as NEC, Hitachi, and Fujitsu not only have the manufacturing capabilities of the CPU, but also the 8086 processor. They can modify the 8086 processor to ensure compliance with the TRON VLSI CPU architecture specification. Therefore, the TRON project. Welcome. In fact, the first chairman of the TRON project was the then president of Fujitsu.
In 1985, when the 386 processor was about to go on the market, Intel CEO Andy Grove was determined to wave the stick and keep control of the X86 architecture processor firmly in his hands.
There are two important factors that prompted Grove to slash a Japanese leeks. He hated Japan for killing American companies in the DRAM market. During a 125% plan, at a sales meeting, Grove said: “Intel is the last hope for the US electronics industry to face the Japanese electronics industry.” The final outcome is that Intel has quit the DRAM business and confessed to the Japanese.
Now, in the field of CPU, Intel finally ushered in the moment of revenge. More importantly, Grove is also holding the same big killer “Semiconductor Protection Act.”
The knives are in hand. Intel began to accuse NEC of quietly improving the 8086 and 8088 chips and selling them in Japan as their own. When selling new CPUs, NEC refused to pay Intel any royalties. Subsequently, Intel filed a complaint and sent NEC to court. The focus of the litigation debate between the two parties was on the microcode (instruction set). As a result of the court’s final judgment, Intel owns the microcode copyright of X86, but Intel cannot claim from NEC because of its own license management issues.
Despite the failure to make a successful claim to NEC, Grove got what he wanted: gained exclusive control over the X86 architecture.
Japanese companies are also very wronged. They feel that they have been bridged by Intel. They manufacture and sell 8086 and 8088 chips for Intel. After working hard to help X86 architecture become the “world standard”, Intel has cut off 32-bit Japanese companies. The authorization of the CPU to enjoy the fruits of the monopoly market alone.
After the development of the TRON project was blocked in the CPU field, Japanese companies pin their hopes on the operating system, but this dream was also ruined by 1989.
After the United States learned that the Japanese government had to install the TRON system into the school’s computer, it pulled down its face and threatened to list TRON as one of the unfair trade barriers. At this time, Japan-US semiconductor trade friction is right, the United States hit the Japanese DRAM industry on a global scale, making many Japanese companies fall into a psychological shadow. Many Japanese computer companies are worried about losing the US market and interrupting the connection with TRON. Muramura said that he was extremely disappointed.
To avoid angering the United States, the Japanese TRON project was forced to scale down, modify the vision, and let the “ubiquitous computing” remove the PC option. The TRON VLSI CPU architecture also turned to MCUs that would not compete with the US (micro control unit) , that is, a single-chip computer), to the embedded field.
In the field of DRAM, Japan was able to shine in the 1970s and early 1980s, mainly because the US government did not realize the strategic position of the chip. After the mid-1980s, with the introduction of the Semiconductor Protection Act of 1984, the IT industry, including chips, was established as a strategic emerging industry in the United States.Industries that need to use national security excuses for protection. Japan is trying to challenge the United States on emerging CPUs and operating systems. Of course, the United States can’t stand it. So when TRON is still in its infancy, it will not give it a chance to re-enact the DRAM market to break down Silicon Valley companies.
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In short:
- As early as 1980, Japan realized the importance of CPU
- NEC had an agreement with Intel to license 8086 and 8088 chips. This gave it access to the x86 architecture.
- The x86 architecture is important because it became the architecture of the IBM compatible PC
- Software is written to run on this architecture
- Japan was strong in hardware but weak in software. Most programmers wanted to code for x86
- NEC released the V20 and V30 16-bit chips in 1982 and 1983, later the V33 chip which was equivalent to the 80286
- At this point NEC could have become like AMD and competed with Intel on x86
- However Andrew Grove lobbied for the Semiconductor Protection Act of 1984 which for the first time made the x86 firmware "IP"
- Andrew Grove was furious Japan drove Intel and other US semi makers out of the DRAM market by the mid-80s
- When IBM demanded a backup supplier for x86 chips, Intel went to AMD to give a license instead of NEC
- In 1984/85, a lawsuit war over IP broke out between NEC and Intel
- The next generation of NEC chips, the V60/V70/V80 which were designed to compete with the 80386 and 80486, did not use x86 architecture
- While there were other competing architectures at this time, this means they could not be commercially successful
- In 1989 a US judge ruled that NEC did not violate Intel copyrights on the obselete V20/V30 clones of the 8086/8088, but granted Intel ownership of x86 going forward from 80386 onward. From this point NEC was finished in the CPU business.
- In the early 1990s a US judge granted AMD rights to use the x86 architecture permanently. Thus AMD has been able to compete with Intel ever since, but not NEC.
- There was also a Japanese OS associated with the TRON project, that could have competed with MS-DOS. However the US Trade Representative acting on behalf of Microsoft threatened Japan with sanctions if it rolled it out. So Japan ditched it in 1989.
- Japan chose to protect its access to the US DRAM market and cede CPU and OS to the US. It didn't realize this was a huge mistake that meant it would no longer move up the value chain.
- The DRAM market became commodotized & low margin, as South Korean & Taiwanese competitors came in. The low tech and low profit sector didn't help Japan much as it gradually lost market share.
- Intel went on to the "Wintel" alliance.
