BiiN

BiiN was a short-lived computer company formed by Intel and Siemens to commercialize technology developed through their Gemini research project. Its objective was to build complete computing systems for applications in which downtime, data corruption, or loss of operational control could have serious consequences. Target markets included online transaction processing, industrial control, nuclear-energy installations, military systems, and national television services. The venture grew out of Intel's earlier iAPX 432 multiprocessor work. Gemini began in 1982 as a jointly funded research program, with Intel contributing much of the semiconductor and systems expertise and Siemens bringing interests in mission-critical industrial and energy applications. Development was distributed across facilities in the United States, Germany, and Austria. The project pursued a demanding architecture that combined multiprocessing, dynamic fault tolerance, distributed file services, strong security, and hardware-assisted protection within programs. In 1985, the project was reorganized as BiiN Partners because Intel and Siemens did not see a practical way to bring the architecture to market by simply dividing the work between them. In July 1988, BiiN was established as a company wholly owned by the two partners. A related entity, BiiN Federal Systems, was also created to address United States foreign-ownership and control requirements when pursuing government business. The companies divided intellectual-property responsibilities: Intel retained ownership of the silicon designs and licensed them to Siemens, while Siemens owned software and documentation and licensed those materials to Intel. BiiN positioned itself between high-end fault-tolerant computing and advanced multiprocessor systems. Its intended competitors included Tandem Computers and Stratus Computer in fault-tolerant computing, as well as Sequent Computer Systems, Pyramid Technology, and Alliant Computer Systems in parallel processing. The principal processor was the 960 XA, a RISC-oriented design influenced by the iAPX 432. It combined an integrated floating-point unit with tagged memory, extensive task-control support, and microcode intended to provide unusually strong protection and reliability features for its period. The proposed product family included the BiiN 20, an entry-level system supporting one or two processors, and the larger BiiN 60, which could support as many as eight processors. Processor groups could be configured for parallel execution or for fault checking. In one mode, paired processors compared results and isolated a failing processor; in another, duplicated processor pairs allowed the system to continue operating after a fault. The systems also incorporated features such as battery-backed disk caching. BiiN/OS, its applications, and development tools were written in Ada, making the project an unusually large commercial use of the language outside military contexts. The technical ambition produced a long and expensive development effort. By the time a system was ready to ship, Intel and Siemens had reportedly invested about $300 million without obtaining significant commercial shipments. Siemens's 1989 reorganization brought its existing computer activities and relationship with Sequent into the evaluation of the project, increasing skepticism about whether BiiN could deliver enough value beyond established systems. Intel and Siemens ultimately failed to agree on additional funding. BiiN was closed in October 1989 and folded in April 1990; reported pre-orders were cancelled and the company achieved no significant sales. Although BiiN itself disappeared, portions of its processor technology survived. Intel adapted the basic RISC core for members of the first-generation i960 family, removing some of the more specialized BiiN features in different versions. The i960KA and i960KB became important embedded processors during the 1990s, and the family was among Intel's strongest embedded offerings before the company's later move toward StrongARM. BiiN therefore remains historically relevant less as a successful computer brand than as an ambitious Intel–Siemens experiment whose processor research influenced a commercially successful embedded-product line.

BiiN originated in 1982 as Gemini, a research project funded equally by Intel and Siemens. The partners sought to create a complete computer system for mission-critical work rather than merely produce a processor or operating system. Intended applications included transaction processing, industrial automation, nuclear-facility control, military systems, and national television infrastructure. The design goals included transparent multiprocessing, distributed files, dynamically configurable fault tolerance, and strong security. The project involved engineering and research groups in Portland, Oregon; Berlin; Vienna; Princeton, New Jersey; and Nuremberg. Siemens's energy organization supported the work because of its interest in highly dependable computing for energy installations, while Intel supplied much of the semiconductor technology. The organization used alternating layers of Intel and Siemens managers and engineers, creating a technically broad but operationally complex program. In 1985, Gemini became BiiN Partners. Intel and Siemens believed that a joint company was necessary because neither partner had an obvious route to market if the architecture were split between them. In July 1988, BiiN was formally launched as a company owned by both corporations. BiiN Federal Systems, another Intel-owned company, was established to reduce foreign-ownership and control complications in sales to the United States government. Intellectual property was divided between the partners: Intel owned the silicon designs and licensed them to Siemens, while Siemens owned the software and documentation and licensed those assets to Intel. BiiN targeted the high end of the fault-tolerant market, where Tandem and Stratus were established, while also seeking capabilities associated with parallel-processing vendors such as Sequent, Pyramid, and Alliant. Its 960 XA processor was a RISC-based descendant of ideas explored in the iAPX 432. Compared with the earlier processor, it aimed for better performance through a simpler core and single-chip integration, while retaining advanced mechanisms including tagged memory, task-control instructions, microcode support, and floating-point processing. The planned systems were the BiiN 20 and BiiN 60. The smaller model supported one or two processors, while the larger model supported up to eight. Processor sets could be used either to increase throughput or to provide redundancy. Fault-checking pairs compared their computations and could isolate a failed processor; duplicated pairs could continue execution when a fault occurred. The system design also included a battery-backed disk cache. BiiN/OS, the applications, and the development environment were written in Ada, an unusual choice for a commercial general-purpose system but consistent with the project's reliability and security ambitions. The program struggled to convert its technical scope into a shippable and competitive product. Intel and Siemens reportedly spent approximately $300 million by the time a system was ready, yet no significant commercial shipments had occurred. Siemens reorganized in 1989 and incorporated other computer-related interests into its assessment of the project. Its existing work with Sequent contributed to skepticism that BiiN offered sufficient benefits over alternatives. The partners could not reach agreement on continued funding, and BiiN was closed in October 1989. The company was folded in April 1990, and pre-orders were reportedly cancelled. The BiiN corporation failed, but the processor work had a commercial afterlife. Intel adapted the core RISC design for multiple i960 processors, stripping away some of the specialized tagged-memory, task-management, memory-management, and floating-point features in particular variants. The i960KA and i960KB were subsequently used as embedded processors and became significant Intel products in the mid-1990s. BiiN technology was also licensed for a military aerospace application associated with Hughes Aircraft. The brand is consequently remembered as an unsuccessful computer-system venture whose underlying processor research helped produce a commercially important embedded architecture.

• 1990

  Company is folded and technology is redirected

  [1]BiiNen.wikipedia.org

  BiiN is folded in April; Intel later uses the processor core in variants of the i960 embedded-processor family.

• 1989

  Venture is closed

  [1]BiiNen.wikipedia.org

  Intel and Siemens fail to agree on additional funding, and BiiN is closed in October after failing to achieve significant sales.

• 1988

  BiiN Corporation is launched

  [1]BiiNen.wikipedia.org

  BiiN becomes a company wholly owned by Intel and Siemens; BiiN Federal Systems is also established for potential United States government business.

• 1985

  Project becomes BiiN Partners

  [1]BiiNen.wikipedia.org

  The partners reorganize the research effort as BiiN Partners to pursue commercialization of the joint architecture.

• 1982

  Gemini research project begins

  [1]BiiNen.wikipedia.org

  Intel and Siemens begin an equally funded research effort to develop mission-critical, fault-tolerant multiprocessor computing systems.

BiiN was positioned as a high-end provider of fault-tolerant and parallel-processing systems for mission-critical government, industrial, energy, financial, and communications applications.

• Fault-tolerant computer system

  BiiN 20

  The BiiN 20 was the planned entry-level member of the BiiN computer family. It was designed to use one or two processors and to support mission-critical workloads with features such as dependable storage handling and configurable processor use. The system was intended to operate either as a performance-oriented multiprocessor or as a fault-tolerant platform, although BiiN's commercial collapse prevented significant production sales.

• Fault-tolerant computer system

  BiiN 60

  The BiiN 60 was the larger planned system, supporting as many as eight processors and allowing multiple machines to be combined into larger configurations. Its architecture was aimed at high-end transaction processing, industrial control, government, and other applications requiring either substantial parallel capacity or continuous operation after hardware faults. It did not achieve meaningful commercial shipment before the venture ended.

• Microprocessor

  960 XA

  The 960 XA was BiiN's principal processor design. It used a RISC-oriented core influenced by the iAPX 432 and incorporated tagged memory, task-control support, floating-point processing, and microcode intended to support protection and reliability. Processor cards also included input/output support and system memory. After BiiN ended, Intel reused the design's basic RISC core in several i960 embedded processors.

• Operating system

  BiiN/OS

  BiiN/OS was the operating system developed for the BiiN architecture. Along with the project's applications and development tools, it was written exclusively in Ada. The software was intended to expose the system's multiprocessing, security, and fault-tolerance capabilities to mission-critical users.

• Embedded microprocessors

  Intel i960 derivatives

  After BiiN was discontinued, Intel adapted the underlying processor RISC core into early i960 products. Different variants removed advanced BiiN features such as tagged memory, task-control mechanisms, memory management, or floating-point hardware. The i960KA and i960KB became widely used embedded processors during the mid-1990s and represented the principal commercial legacy of the BiiN project.

• 1990

  Redirect processor technology into the i960 familyGeneration change

  Background

  The BiiN system business had ended, but Intel retained the underlying processor work.

  Action taken

  Intel used the basic BiiN RISC core as the basis for several i960 embedded processors, removing specialized features in different models.

  Aftermath

  The i960 became one of Intel's more successful embedded processor families during the mid-1990s, giving the failed venture a continuing technical legacy.

  Source

• 1989

  Partners discontinue further fundingStrategy

  Background

  The project had consumed substantial resources without producing significant shipments, while Siemens's reorganization increased doubts about the venture's differentiation from existing computer systems.

  Action taken

  Intel and Siemens failed to agree on additional funding and ended the venture.

  Aftermath

  BiiN closed in October 1989 and was folded in April 1990; reported pre-orders were cancelled.

  Reported cumulative project investment. $300 million (By the time the system was ready to ship, approximately 1989)

  Source

• 1988

  Separate federal-systems entity is establishedStrategy

  Background

  Potential sales to the United States government raised foreign-ownership and control concerns because Siemens was one of the venture's owners.

  Action taken

  Intel created BiiN Federal Systems as a separate wholly owned company intended to avoid Foreign Ownership and Controlling Interest complications.

  Aftermath

  The structure provided a route toward government contracting, although BiiN did not develop significant commercial sales before the venture ended.

  Source

• 1985

  Create a dedicated commercialization ventureStrategy

  Background

  Intel and Siemens concluded that the Gemini architecture would be difficult to commercialize if the research program were divided between the two companies.

  Action taken

  They reorganized the project as BiiN Partners, preparing a joint corporate structure around the technology.

  Aftermath

  The reorganization led to the formal launch of BiiN Corporation in 1988.

  Source

1. 1BiiNen.wikipedia.org