Artifact Details

Title

Kihara, Toshimasa oral history

Catalog Number

102738174

Type

Moving image

Description

Kihara-san spent the bulk of his career working on microprocessor related programs at Hitachi Semiconductor. He graduated from the University of Tokyo where he earned both BS (1969) and MS (1971) degrees in applied physics. He immediately went to work for Hitachi, where he started in the semiconductor business group.

Kihara began working on all aspects of semiconductor design including architecture, circuit design and layout, developing an important foundation for his later work, which was related to microprocessors. He describes Hitachi’s early work in microprocessors, including licensing of Motorola’s 6800 processor and Hitachi’s later decision to pursue their own SuperH series of microprocessors. These found widespread success and adoption in a variety of applications, including automotive engine control. Kihara-san held several senior management responsibilities in these various programs.

He has now retired from Hitachi and is involved with a small company in some potentially revolutionary developments in Flash memory technology.

Date

2016-06-21

Participants

Fairbairn, Doug, interviewer

Kihara, Toshimas, interviewee

Publisher

Computer History Museum

Place of Publication

Tokyo, Japan

Format

MOV

Subject

Hitachi; Motorola; RISC; SuperH; SH; ZTAT; Renesas; Zilog, Inc.

Collection Title

CHM oral history collection

Credit