— Ch. 1 · Consortium Origins And Formation —
Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corporation.
~3 min read · Ch. 1 of 6
The year 1982 marked a turning point in global technology when Japan announced its Fifth Generation Project. This ambitious initiative aimed to produce entirely new types of computers by the end of the decade. American and European computer manufacturers viewed this Japanese effort as a direct threat to their dominance in high-end computing markets. They feared losing control over the future direction of international technology standards. The United States government had not previously allowed industrial research consortia of this scale due to antitrust laws. Several major semiconductor companies banded together to form a defensive alliance against this foreign competition. Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corporation emerged from these urgent strategic concerns. It stood as the first large-scale computer industry research consortium established within the United States.
Leadership And Strategic Location
Admiral Bobby Ray Inman led the newly formed organization with his background as Director of the National Security Agency. His previous role as Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency brought significant security expertise to the project. The group considered several potential locations including Atlanta, Georgia and Stanford University before settling on Austin, Texas. The University of Texas offered land for a dedicated building on their campus. Ross Perot provided a private plane for two years to assist with staff recruitment efforts. Austin was officially selected as the headquarters site during 1983. Despite Inman's intelligence background, the corporation accepted no government funding for many years. Some employees found refuge there while avoiding work on Strategic Defense Initiative projects.Research Divisions And Technical Focus
Six primary areas defined the research scope throughout the 1980s boom period. System Architecture and Design teams optimized hardware and software design for scalability. Advanced Microelectronics Packaging and Interconnection groups worked toward smaller, faster, more powerful components. Hardware Systems Engineering developed tools for cost-efficient electronic system design. Environmentally Conscious Technologies created process control tools for waste minimization. Distributed Information Technology managed physically distributed corporate information resources across different platforms. Intelligent Systems supported business processes through decision support and data management capabilities. MCC became reportedly the single largest customer of both Symbolics and Lisp Machines, Inc. The organization registered one of the first .com domain names in existence. Major programs included packaging, software engineering, CAD, and advanced computer architectures.