Nippon Electric Company (NEC) was founded in Japan in 1899. W.T. Carlton, head of the Tokyo branch of Western Electric Company of Illinois, and Kunihiko Iwadare, the Japanese agent for products produced by WE, formed the company once Japan approved commercial enterprise for foreign companies. NEC was the first company to be affiliated with a foreign nation (the United States).
Today, NEC is a diverse company with many specialties, including face-recognition software, computers, laptops, and servers, and AI technology. NEC has 301 consolidated subsidiaries and 114,714 employees worldwide. Their revenue for 2021 is already almost $23 billion.
Pivotal Moments in NEC History
1899 – Nippon Electric Company, Limited (NEC) is founded in Japan
1919 – NEC domestically produces a large-scale common battery switching system
1928 – NEC develops NE-type phototelegraphic equipment and transmits scenes of the Ascension ceremony of Emperor Hirohito; the technology is quickly adopted by Japanese newspapers
1931 – NEC domestically produces radio broadcasting equipment
1939 – NEC develops successful television prototype
1950 – NEC begins researching and developing transistors
1952 – NEC receives the Deming Prize for quality control
1953 – NEC produces microwave PTM multiplexing communications equipment
1954 – NEC begins manufacturing televisions for domestic consumption
1954 – NEC begins researching and developing computers
1956 – NEC produces first domestically-produced XB automatic switching equipment for telephones
1958 – NEC builds the Parametron computer for Tohoku University
1958 – NEC manufactures the first domestic transistorized computer, NEAC-2201
1960 – NEC begins developing integrated circuits
1964 – NEC’s satellite communication equipment is used to broadcast the Tokyo Olympics live
1965 – NEC produces the first domestic PCM (pulse code modulation) communication device
1958 – NEC develops 144-bit n-channel MOS (metal oxide semiconductor) memory
1970 – NEC manufactures Japan’s first space satellite for the Institute of Space and Aeronautical Science (University of Tokyo)
1971 – NEC develops a fully automated mail processing system
1974 – NEC releases the ACOS Series 77 computer series
1976 – NEC produces a new 4-bit microcomputer family named μCOM-41
1979 – NEC releases personal computer, PC-8001
1981 – NEC produces new family of small business computers named the NEC System Series
1982 – NEC releases 16-bit personal computer, PC-9801
1985 – NEC’s supercomputer SX-2 is world’s fastest, at 1.3 GFLOPS
1988 – NEC produces smallest chip type solid tantalum electrolytic capacitor in the world
1991 – NEC manufactures first color laptop in the world, the PC-9801NC
1994 – NEC introduces Express 5800 Series line of servers
1995 – NEC develops first 1 GB DRAM
1997 – NEC produces the world’s first 4 GB DRAM
2002 – NEC manufactures the fastest supercomputer (Computonik)
2003 – NEC builds the largest mission critical system (i-mode gateway system named Circus) in the world
2010 – NEC begins producing electrodes for high-performance lithium ion automotive batteries
2016 – NEC launches its AI technologies as “NEC the Wise”
2018 – NEC completes first South Atlantic Cable System
NEC’s newly named President and CEO, Takayuki Morita, sums up NEC’s history and philosophy: “In our more than 120 years of history, NEC has nurtured world-class technologies and the capabilities to implement those technologies. We have a responsibility to transform these strengths into the concrete values of safety, security, fairness, and efficiency from the standpoint of the consumer; I believe that this is exactly what society expects from us, in other words, this is the purpose of NEC.”
NEC Servers Compatible with ServerLIFT® Datacenter liften
ServerLIFT® solutions and products are designed to properly assist with the lifting, handling, and installing of NEC rack-mounted servers and switches. These include Express 5800 servers and Univerge, QX S1000, QX S4100, QX S5200, and QX S5600 switches. To get additional details on compatibility and partnership between ServerLIFT® and NEC, please visit our server database.
Image: “NEC Customer Experience Center Washington, DC” by NEC Corporation of America is licensed under CC BY 2.0.