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To: Elmer who wrote (162591)	3/20/2002 2:01:40 PM
From: combjelly	Respond to of 186894

"Wasn't that an effort to develop 5th generation AI?" There were several interlocking projects. There was a hardware initiative, to challenge the American CPU companies. There was also an OS initiative, and finally the AI stuff that was going to run on it. tron.org seems to be all that is left...

To: Elmer who wrote (162591)	3/20/2002 2:08:43 PM
From: Paul Engel	Respond to of 186894

Elmer - Check out this article from 1987 on Japan, Tron and the U.S. of A. "The ultimate objective of this massive effort is said to be to make TRON the international standard for computer operating systems and pull the rug out from under the Americans." japanlaw.com 4/87 MICROPROCESSORS & TRON -- JAPAN TO DEFEAT U.S. AGAIN? After having delivered a decisive defeat against the American semiconductor industry in the memory (DRAM) sector, Japan's government and industry appear to have now targeted microprocessors as the next industrial sector that Japan will subjugate. At present the most advanced microprocessors widely used by industry today is the 32 bit MPU (microprocessing unit). Production is dominated by the American firms Motorola and Intel. In the previous generation 16 bit microprocessors Japanese makers such as Hitachi and Fujitsu had served as second source producers, producing the devices under license. Apparently worried about the advisability of providing Japanese makers with technology in one of the few sectors where they still lead, the firms have been most reluctant to provide the Japanese with these technologies. Concerned that they may be blocked from this advanced technology sector by such strategies and increasingly confident that they can take on the Americans whenever, or wherever, the Japanese have launched their own efforts to develop 32 bit microprocessors. Hitachi and Fujitsu in October 1986 joined forces to develop such a chip. In May 1987 they were joined in this effort by Mitsubishi Electric. The three firms claim that they will develop a chip by the end of the year with a computing speed of 10 million instructions per second and another which can reach 20 million instructions per second by the end of 1988. This compares with a reported top speed of 3.3 million instructions per second for the American chips. NEC, which has always developed its microprocessors independently, not using licenses, in June 1987 launched sales of a 32 bit microprocessor which it claims can handle 6.6 million instructions per second. In addition to the hardware, the Japanese are also determined to takeover the software side. These Japanese 32 bit microprocessors will be equipped with an operating system called "TRON" which is being trumpeted as a "made in Japan" operating system for future generation computers. TRON was originally devised by a University of Tokyo professor but the main development effort is being conducted by the Japan Electronics Industry Promotion Association. One of the key elements in making this a truly "made in Japan" operating system is closing foreigners out of the development process. Japan may depend primarily now on foreign designed operating systems and may have depended on foreign licenses to make the microprocessors that will run the software, but now that Japan feels confident that it is close enough to the leading edge technology to attempt to develop it independently, the foreigners are being deliberately closed out. Motorola and AT&T have made inquiries about participating in the project but have received polite stalling replies. Indeed, in an article in the NIKKEI 5ANGYO (one of Japan's leading business dailies) covering this problem, the headlines read ·AMERICAN FIRMS SEEKING PARTICIPATION IN THE TRON PROJECT ARE BEING POLITELY TOLD--NO WAY.· "FOREIGNERS BLOCKED BY THE "MADE JAPAN' BARRIER." Although the University of Tokyo professor who developed the concept is willing to let foreigners join, the Japan Electronics Industry Promotion Association, a semi-governmental association where most of the actual development is being conducted is refusing. The Japan Electronics Industry Promotion Association was established with the objective of raising the levels of the Japanese electronics industry so that it could counter the American and European industry. In view of that, at present only with respect to TRON is not permissible to let foreign firms join. NIKKEI SANGYO. 5/9/87. p.5. The ultimate objective of this massive effort is said to be to make TRON the international standard for computer operating systems and pull the rug out from under the Americans. THE JAPAN LAWLETTER, April 1987. By Roderick Seeman