Goals, Current Status of MCC’s Programs
SOFTWARE TECHNOLOGY
Goal: To design tools to improve the productivity and quality of complex software development.
Status: Begun a year later than other programs, the “Leonardo” project has yet to spin off any technology to its 10 company participants; the first “deliverables” are expected in the next few months.
PACKAGING/INTERCONNECT
Goal: To develop advanced semiconductor packaging technology, with emphasis on automatic assembly.
Status: Several patent filings and technology deliveries, including blueprints to the projects’ 11 company participants for new manufacturing techniques for tape automated bonding to decrease size and improve reliability of common chip packages.
VLSI/CAD
Goal: To improve computer-aided design technology as tools in designing complex systems and complex, very-large-scale integration devices.
Status: Some deliverables, including a “C” code compiler that provides base technology for a design environment and “Music,” a design language that facilitates circuit simulation.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
Goal: To develop new ways to represent human knowledge and thought concepts and the tools to apply human expertise to a wide range of applications.
Status: First transfer from MCC in August, 1985, was “Proteus,” an expert system builder.
DATABASE
Goal: To support large, complex shared knowledge bases and develop a high-performance data-knowledge base machine.
Status: Now moving into prototype development of database machine.
HUMAN INTERFACE
Goal: To develop technologies that will allow users to learn computer systems faster and allow expert users to operate more efficiently.
Status: Technologies transferred include editors, or techniques for organizing and sorting large-scale knowledge bases, and graphics technology. “Lingo,” a natural language system, is in development.
PARALLEL PROCESSING
Goal: To develop advanced concepts in this form of supercomputing that will greatly increase computing performance.
Status: No deliverables as yet, but members have received for review and approval substantive reports outlining concepts; transfer of language technology is anticipated soon.
