Magnetic Core Memory
16 days ago
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- #history
- #innovation
- Magnetic core memory revolutionized computer memory by using tiny magnetic donuts as bits.
- Jay Forrester developed the 'coincident current' method, crucial for reading and writing in core memory.
- Early cores were 1/16” in diameter, costing about $1 per bit, but later became smaller, faster, and cheaper.
- An Wang sold his core memory patent to IBM for $500,000, founding Wang Laboratories.
- Multiple inventors, including Frederick Viehe, An Wang, Jan Rajchman, and Jay Forrester, contributed to core memory's development.
- IBM paid MIT $13 million for rights to Forrester’s patent, the largest settlement at the time.
- Core memory manufacturing was delicate, often performed by women using microscopes and steady hands.
- BIAX memory cores, though fast, were expensive and used primarily in military and aerospace applications.