Gene Amdahl facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Gene Amdahl
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Amdahl addressing a UW–Madison Alumni gathering, March 13, 2008
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| Born | November 16, 1922 Flandreau, South Dakota, U.S.
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| Died | November 10, 2015 (aged 92) Palo Alto, California, U.S.
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| Alma mater | South Dakota State University (BS, 1948) University of Wisconsin (MS; PhD, 1952) |
| Known for | Founding Amdahl Corporation; formulating Amdahl's law; IBM 360, 704 |
| Spouse(s) | Marian Delaine Quissell |
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| Awards | National Academy of Engineering (1967) Computer History Museum Fellow (1998) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Entrepreneur Computer science |
| Institutions | Degrees in theoretical physics from the University of Wisconsin |
| Thesis | The Logical Design of an Intermediate Speed Digital Computer (1953) |
| Doctoral advisor | Robert G. Sachs |
| Influences | Harold A. Peterson |
Gene Myron Amdahl (born November 16, 1922 – died November 10, 2015) was an American computer expert. He was known for his work on large computers called mainframe computers. He worked at IBM and later started his own companies, especially Amdahl Corporation.
Gene Amdahl also created something important called Amdahl's law. This law explains a basic limit in how fast computers can work when they do many tasks at the same time.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Gene Amdahl was born in Flandreau, South Dakota. His parents came from Norway and Sweden. He served in the Navy during World War II. After the war, he earned a degree in engineering physics from South Dakota State University in 1948.
He then studied physics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. In 1950, Gene and another student, Charles Davidson, had an idea to build a digital computer. Their professors supported them. Gene finished his advanced degree in 1952. His project was to create his first computer, called the Wisconsin Integrally Synchronized Computer (WISC). After that, he started working at IBM in June 1952.
Working at IBM
At IBM, Gene Amdahl helped design important early computers. These included the IBM 704 and the IBM 709. He also worked on a big project called Stretch, which led to the IBM 7030 Stretch computer.
He left IBM for a short time in 1955 because he found the company's structure frustrating. But he returned in 1960. When he came back, he became the main designer for the famous IBM System/360. This was a very important series of computers. In 1965, IBM recognized his great work by naming him an IBM Fellow.
Starting Amdahl Corporation
Gene Amdahl left IBM again in 1970. This was because his new ideas for computer development were not accepted. He then started his own company, Amdahl Corporation, in Sunnyvale, California. He got help from a Japanese company called Fujitsu.
His company competed with IBM in the mainframe market. They made "plug-compatible" mainframes. This meant their computers could use the same software and parts as IBM's. Amdahl's first computer, the Amdahl 470V/6, came out in 1975. It was often cheaper, more reliable, and faster than IBM's similar machines. Customers could use Amdahl computers to run their existing IBM software without buying IBM hardware.
Amdahl Corporation also created special software called VM/PE. This software helped IBM's MVS operating system work better. By 1979, Amdahl Corporation had sold over $1 billion worth of computers. They had more than 6,000 employees around the world. The company also made other computer parts, like front-end processors and high-performance disk drives.
In 1967, Gene Amdahl talked about the limits of computer performance. He explained that there are physical limits to how much faster a computer can get by adding special features. This led to his famous "Amdahl's law". This law helps us understand how much faster a computer can become when using parallel processing. Parallel processing means doing many tasks at the same time.
Later Companies and Legacy
After Amdahl Corporation, Gene Amdahl started other companies. In 1979, he founded Trilogy Systems with his son. This company aimed to make even cheaper mainframes using new chips. However, this project did not succeed.
He later founded Andor International in 1987. This company also tried to compete in the mainframe market. But it faced production problems and strong competition, leading to its bankruptcy in 1995.
In 1996, Amdahl co-founded Commercial Data Servers. This company focused on smaller, super-cooled mainframe-like systems. Today, this company is called Xbridge Systems. It creates software that scans computer data for sensitive information, like credit card numbers.
Gene Amdahl passed away on November 10, 2015, in Palo Alto, California, due to pneumonia. He was almost 93 years old. He also had Alzheimer's disease in his later years.
Awards and Recognition
Gene Amdahl received many awards for his important work. He was named an IBM Fellow in 1965. In 1967, he became a member of the National Academy of Engineering. His first university, South Dakota State University, honored him as their Centennial Alumnus in 1986.
In 1979, he was elected a Distinguished Fellow of the British Computer Society. The IEEE Computer Society gave him the Harry H. Goode Memorial Award in 1983. This award recognized his amazing contributions to designing and building large, powerful computers.
In 1998, the Computer History Museum made him a Fellow. This was for his key work in computer design, project management, and leadership. In 2007, he received the SIGDA Pioneering Achievement Award.
See also
In Spanish: Gene Amdahl para niños
- Amdahl's law
- Amdahl Corporation
- IBM mainframe
- FUD – a term Amdahl used to describe IBM's competitive ways
