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HAL Computer Systems
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HAL Computer Systems, Inc was a Campbell, California-based computer manufacturer. It was founded in 1990 by Andrew Heller, a principal designer of the original IBM POWER architecture. His idea was to build computers based on a RISC architecture for the commercial market.
The company's intent to develop a high performance microprocessor implementing the SPARC architecture prompted Fujitsu to fund the company in 1991.
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HAL Computer Systems, Inc was a Campbell, California-based computer manufacturer. It was founded in 1990 by Andrew Heller, a principal designer of the original IBM POWER architecture. His idea was to build computers based on a RISC architecture for the commercial market.
The company's intent to develop a high performance microprocessor implementing the SPARC architecture prompted Fujitsu to fund the company in 1991. $40.2 million was invested in return for a 44% stake. As part of the deal, Fujitsu agreed to not increase their ownership of HAL, fabricate HAL's microprocessor designs, make its patents available, manufacture some of the machines, and market them the Asia. In return, HAL gave Fujitsu access to the technology it was developing. By this time, HAL had 140 employees.
In mid-1993, Heller resigned his position as the chairman and chief executive of HAL to become a consultant to Fujitsu Ltd. HAL said Heller had been for the six months prior to his resignation, developing road maps for Fujitsu and its subsidaries ICL plc and Amdahl Corporation; and had been less involved with HAL's daily operation. There were suggestions that Fujitsu was dissatisfied with HAL's progress and their failure to introduce systems with their 64-bit processor, but the company did not comment. The position of president was taken by Scott Metcalf, who was also the chief operating officer.
In November 1993, Fujitsu paid more than $50 million for the remaining 56% of HAL it did not own. HAL became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fujitsu.
During the HAL's operation as an independent company, they were very secretive as to what they were developing. Initial systems were intended for a 1994 launch.
The company produced multiple generations of computers based on their proprietary SPARC microprocessors. Their microprocessors combined out-of-order execution with mainframe-style reliability, availability and serviceability features. Their SPARC64 processor beat out Sun's UltraSPARC I by a few months to be the first 64-bit SPARC V9 microprocessor produced.
Most of the sales of the company went to the Japanese market. Fujitsu closed the subsidiary in mid-2001.
They later designed the SPARC64 II (previously known as the SPARC64+), SPARC64 III, SPARC64 IV microprocessors. They also designed a microprocessor that was cancelled when the division was closed by Fujitsu known as the SPARC64 V. Fujitsu would later develop a microprocessor with the same name derived from the last shipped HAL design which reached production.
HAL Software Systems
HAL Software Systems was HAL's software division. Their first product was a Distributed Computing Environment (DCE) management tool. Later products, introduced in March 1994 include the Olias Browser, Olias Build Tools, Olias Remote Information Broker, and Olias Filter Development Kit. These products were for browsing and managing Standardised Generalised Mark-up Language (SGML) and World Wide Web documents and relational databases. In mid-1996, Fujitsu had HAL Computer Systems spin off HAL Software Systems as Chisholm Technologies, Inc., a company financed by Fujitsu that developed Intranet administration tools.
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