Fifth Generation Computer Systems

<p>The Fifth Generation Computer Systems  was a 10-year initiative launched in 1982 by Japan's <a href="/facts/Ministry_of_International_Trade_and_Industry/fTFvLVa6">Ministry of International Trade and Industry</a> (MITI) to develop computers based on <a href="/facts/Massively_parallel_computing/dX7W2Nxs">massively parallel computing</a> and <a href="/facts/Logic_programming/Xgh8lj3F">logic programming</a>. The project aimed to create an "epoch-making computer" with supercomputer-like performance and to establish a platform for future advancements in <a href="/facts/Artificial_intelligence/lJGauQwX">artificial intelligence</a>. Although FGCS was ahead of its time, its ambitious goals ultimately led to commercial failure. However, on a theoretical level, the project significantly contributed to the development of <a href="/facts/Concurrent_logic_programming/ykrNo3yy">concurrent logic programming</a>.
</p><p>The term "fifth generation" was chosen to emphasize the system's advanced nature. In the <a href="/facts/History_of_computing_hardware/83xXSmuW">history of computing hardware</a>, there had been four prior "generations" of computers: the first generation utilized <a href="/facts/Vacuum_tube/VHd1BNLq">vacuum tubes</a>; the second, <a href="/facts/Transistor/Bmr8zwL0">transistors</a> and <a href="/facts/Diode/JyaoyGnk">diodes</a>; the third, <a href="/facts/Integrated_circuit/fjn6vg7C">integrated circuits</a>; and the fourth, <a href="/facts/Microprocessor/Fx9CaQht">microprocessors</a>. While earlier generations focused on increasing the number of logic elements within a single CPU, it was widely believed at the time that the fifth generation would achieve enhanced performance through the use of massive numbers of CPUs.
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Fifth Generation Computer Systems open-in-new

Fifth Generation Computer Systems