Control Data Corporation

Control Data Corporation was a pioneering American mainframe and supercomputer firm that played a defining role in the history of computing. Founded by a group of engineers from Sperry Corporation, it became renowned for its powerful supercomputers and innovative approach to corporate social responsibility. The company's technological achievements and business philosophy left a lasting mark on the computer industry and Silicon Valley.

History

The company was established in 1957 in Minneapolis by former Sperry Corporation engineers, including William Norris and Seymour Cray. Its early success was built on the CDC 1604, one of the first commercially successful transistor-based computers. A pivotal moment came in 1960 when Seymour Cray, seeking isolation for pure research, established a remote lab in his hometown of Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, which became the birthplace of legendary supercomputers. Following a philosophical split over direction, Cray left in 1972 to found Cray Research, taking many key engineers. The 1970s and 1980s saw expansion into new markets like computer peripherals and data services, but also significant challenges from the rise of the minicomputer and microprocessor. Financial struggles led to a series of divestitures in the late 1980s, with its core assets eventually acquired by Ceridian in 1992.

Products and services

Its most famous products were the supercomputers designed by Seymour Cray, beginning with the CDC 6600 in 1964, which was the world's fastest computer for five years. This was followed by the even more powerful CDC 7600. The company also produced a successful line of large-scale mainframe computers, such as the CDC Cyber series, for scientific and commercial data processing. Beyond hardware, it developed a significant business in magnetic tape drives and disk storage devices through its subsidiary, Memorex. It also offered extensive timesharing services via the Control Data Institute and built one of the early computerized bulletin board systems, known as PLATO.

Corporate culture and impact

Under CEO William Norris, the company championed a progressive form of corporate social responsibility that was unusual for its time. Norris believed corporations had a duty to address societal problems, leading to initiatives aimed at revitalizing inner cities, such as building plants in disadvantaged areas of St. Paul and Baltimore. It invested heavily in education through the PLATO project and founded the Control Data Institute to provide technical training. This philosophy extended to its internal culture, which emphasized engineering excellence and a degree of employee autonomy, though it sometimes clashed with the financial pressures of being a publicly-traded company on the New York Stock Exchange.

Notable projects and partnerships

A landmark project was the PLATO system, developed at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with significant funding, which pioneered online education, computer-based training, and foundational concepts for online communities. In the realm of high-performance computing, it collaborated with U.S. government agencies like the National Security Agency and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The company also formed a notable joint venture with the Soviet Union's government during the Cold War, called Control Data/Soviet Union joint venture, to manufacture and market disk drives, a highly unusual arrangement for the era.

Legacy and influence

Its legacy is profound in the field of supercomputing, where machines like the CDC 6600 set performance standards and inspired future generations of designers at Cray Research, Intel, and IBM. The spin-off of Cray Research created a dynasty in high-performance computing. Culturally, its model of socially-conscious capitalism influenced business leaders and thinkers, while the PLATO system's innovations directly presaged email, message boards, and e-learning. Many talented engineers and entrepreneurs who trained there went on to shape other major technology companies across Silicon Valley and the broader Midwest technology sector.

Category:Defunct computer companies of the United States Category:Companies based in Minneapolis Category:Supercomputer companies