What is the impact of semiconductor memories?

Answer 1

Semiconductor RAM (Random Access Memory) chips were first used in computers and other electronic equipment back in the late 1960's. They rapidly became popular because they were very much cheaper to manufacture than the magnetic core memory stacks (which themselves had replaced even older devices such as physical wave delay lines) which were, up to then, the only form of RAM available for mainframe or minicomputer manufacturers to use. The main impacts of the introduction of semiconductor RAMs were: * the possibility to install much larger amounts of logical RAM in computers * housed in a very much smaller physical space * taking very much less power and * at a much lower cost per unit of memory than was ever possible using magnetic core memory stacks. As a result: * the use of semiconductor RAM soon led to closure of most factories set up by mainframe manufacturers after World War II to make magnetic core memory stacks. Relatively few workers are needed in a factory making semiconductor RAM chips and circuit boards compared to one making magnetic memory stacks having the same amount of logical RAM * along with the availability of microprocessor chips, semiconductor RAM made possible the rapid introduction of powerful, yet very cheap, minicomputers * instead of making mainframe computer systems, manufacturers were soon forced to switch their production mix to make far less mainframes. Factories which had been making relatively few massive mainframes were soon full of the quite different production lines needed to make thousands of minicomputers, pcs and server systems.