The IBM 7090 is a second-generation transistorized version of the earlier IBM 709 vacuum tube mainframe computer that was designed for "large-scale scientific and technological applications". The 7090 is the fourth member of the IBM 700/7000 series scientific computers. The first 7090 installation was in December 1959.[1] In 1960, a typical system sold for $2.9 million (equivalent to $23 million in 2023) or could be rented for $63,500 a month (equivalent to $501,000 in 2023).
The 7090 uses a 36-bit word length, with an address space of 32,768 words (15-bit addresses).[2] It operates with a basic memory cycle of 2.18 μs, using the IBM 7302 Core Storage core memory technology from the IBM 7030 (Stretch) project.
With a processing speed of around 100 Kflop/s,[3] the 7090 is six times faster than the 709, and could be rented for half the price.[4] An upgraded version, the 7094, was up to twice as fast. Both the 7090 and the 7094 were withdrawn from sale on July 14, 1969, but systems remained in service for more than a decade after.[5][6] In 1961 the IBM 7094 famously employed a speech synthesis program to sing "Daisy Bell", becoming something of a cultural icon.
- ^ IBM states "the first 7090 was installed in December, 1959" at 7090 Data Processing System
- ^ Hayes, John.P (1978). Computer Architecture and Organization. p. 33. ISBN 0-07-027363-4.
- ^ Bailey, David (n.d.). "Performance of future high-end computers". ResearchGate. p. 4. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
- ^ Pugh, Emerson W.; Johnson, Lyle R.; Palmer, John H. (1991). IBM's 360 and early 370 systems. MIT Press. p. 36. ISBN 0-262-16123-0.
- ^ "7090 Data Processing System". IBM. n.d. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
- ^ "7094 Data Processing System". IBM. n.d. Retrieved April 16, 2022.