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NEC

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NEC is a big company.

NEC logo 1963.svg
NEC logo 1963.svg
It is in Japan. They make tools for computers. They help people talk on phones. This helps the whole world. Do you use a computer?

33 words

NEC is a big company in Japan.

NEC logo 1963.svg
NEC logo 1963.svg

It started a long time ago. Two men started it in 1898. They made tools for phones. This helped many people talk to each other.

Later, the company made new things. They made fans and washing machines. They even made the first radios in Japan.

NEC PC-8801 with keyboard.jpg
NEC PC-8801 with keyboard.jpg

NEC also made very fast computers. They made tools for space, too.

Earth simulator ES2.jpg
Earth simulator ES2.jpg

Today, they help make the internet work. They help big offices use computers.

87 words

NEC is a large technology company from Japan.

NEC logo 1963.svg
NEC logo 1963.svg

Two men started the company in 1898. They first made tools for telephones. This helped many people in Japan talk to each other. In 1905, the leader changed how the company worked. He made all workers direct employees. This helped the company run better.

NEC also helped bring new things to Japan. They sold electric fans and washing machines. They even helped start radio in Japan in 1924.

NEC Versa 6O1OH.jpg
NEC Versa 6O1OH.jpg

During World War II, the company faced hard times. Many of their buildings were destroyed. After the war, NEC began to make new things. They studied transistors, which are tiny parts used in electronics. They also started making computers in 1954.

By 1958, they built a computer using only parts made in Japan.

NEC PC-8801 with keyboard.jpg
NEC PC-8801 with keyboard.jpg
NEC grew to be a global company. They made satellite tools for space and sea cables for the ocean.
Earth simulator ES2.jpg
Earth simulator ES2.jpg
Today, NEC provides smart tools like artificial intelligence to help businesses and governments.

174 words

NEC is a large technology company based in Tokyo, Japan.

NEC logo 1963.svg
NEC logo 1963.svg
It works by providing many digital solutions for businesses and governments. These include cloud computing and artificial intelligence, which is a way for computers to act smart. They also build networks and telecommunications equipment to help people stay connected. NEC is a member of the Sumitomo Group. Today, it is one of the five largest defense contractors in Japan.
Kaoru Yano cropped 2 Kaoru Yano and Sebastian Pinera 20101115.jpg
Kaoru Yano cropped 2 Kaoru Yano and Sebastian Pinera 20101115.jpg

In the beginning, the company focused on how telephones worked. They made switches that helped connect callers to one another. These switches helped move calls without needing a magnet in every single phone.

NEC Versa 6O1OH.jpg
NEC Versa 6O1OH.jpg
NEC also moved into radio broadcasting in 1924. They made radio transmitters and parts called electron tubes. Later, they began making computers and tiny electronic chips. These chips are used in almost all modern machines. They even helped lay cables under the Pacific Ocean to connect distant places.

Two men started the company on August 31, 1898. Their names were Kunihiko Iwadare and Takeshiro Maeda. They used buildings they bought from the Miyoshi Electrical Manufacturing Company. Iwadare was the main partner who led the group. Maeda was in charge of selling their products. In 1899, the company became a joint-stock company. This happened after a new treaty between Japan and the United States went into effect.

NEC APC.jpg
NEC APC.jpg

The company has faced many big changes over the years. In 1923, a huge earthquake hit Japan. This event destroyed four of the company's factories. During World War II, the company had very difficult days. Many of their plants were damaged by military attacks. In 1950, they began researching transistors to build better electronics. By 1958, they built a computer using only parts made in Japan.

NEC PC-8801 with keyboard.jpg
NEC PC-8801 with keyboard.jpg

You can see NEC's work in many things you use today. Their technology helps run the networks that carry internet data. They even helped launch the Himawari weather satellite in 1977.

Earth simulator ES2.jpg
Earth simulator ES2.jpg
Many of the computers and mobile phones we use rely on parts like semiconductors. NEC used to make many of these personal computers. Now, they focus more on the software and smart systems that make technology work. Their headquarters is a tall building called the NEC Supertower in Minato, Tokyo.
NTT DoCoMo FOMA N-02C 01.jpg
NTT DoCoMo FOMA N-02C 01.jpg

399 words

NEC is a major Japanese multinational information technology corporation.

NEC logo 1963.svg
NEC logo 1963.svg
It is headquartered at the NEC Supertower in Minato, Tokyo. The company provides many digital solutions for modern society. These include cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI). They also offer Internet of Things (IoT) platforms and telecommunications equipment. NEC serves business enterprises, service providers, and government agencies. It is currently one of the five largest defense contractors in Japan.
Kaoru Yano cropped 2 Kaoru Yano and Sebastian Pinera 20101115.jpg
Kaoru Yano cropped 2 Kaoru Yano and Sebastian Pinera 20101115.jpg

The company's history began with telephone technology. Kunihiko Iwadare and Takeshiro Maeda established the Nippon Electric Limited Partnership on August 31, 1898. They used facilities purchased from the Miyoshi Electrical Manufacturing Company. Iwadare acted as the representative partner. Maeda managed the company's sales. In 1899, a revised treaty between Japan and the United States allowed for reorganization. The company became the first Japanese joint-venture with foreign capital.

NEC APC.jpg
NEC APC.jpg

Early operations focused on the production and maintenance of telephones and switches. In 1901, NEC built the Mita Plant to modernize production. By 1903, the Japanese Ministry of Communications adopted NEC's common battery switchboards. These switchboards powered subscriber phones. This innovation eliminated the need for a permanent magnet generator in every individual phone. NEC also began exporting telephone sets to China in 1904. To improve efficiency, Iwadare replaced the old "oyakata" sub-contracting system. He moved to a system of direct employment with higher salaries and incentives.

NEC Versa 6O1OH.jpg
NEC Versa 6O1OH.jpg

NEC faced significant challenges during the early 20th century. The Great Kantō earthquake struck Japan in 1923. This disaster killed 140,000 people and left 3.4 million homeless. Four NEC factories were destroyed, resulting in the deaths of 105 workers and engineers. In response to the damage, the Ministry of Communications accelerated programs for automatic switching and radio. NEC developed Japan's first Strowger-type automatic switching system in 1924. The company also entered the radio business that same year.

NEC uPB74LS04C.jpg
NEC uPB74LS04C.jpg

World War II brought difficult times for the company. In 1938, military officers took direct supervision of the Mita and Tamagawa plants. In 1941, the enemy property control law was passed. This led to the seizure of NEC shares owned by Western Electric affiliates. During the war, several plants suffered heavy damage from military attacks. The Ueno plant was leveled in March 1945. The Okayama Plant was totally destroyed by bombing in June 1945. By the end of the war, production was greatly reduced due to shortages.

NEC 8080AF cropped.png
NEC 8080AF cropped.png

Postwar, NEC shifted toward advanced electronics and computing. In 1950, the company began transistor research and development. By 1954, they started computer research. In 1958, NEC built the NEAC-2201, its first fully transistorized computer. This machine used parts made entirely in Japan. During the 1960s and 1970s, NEC expanded globally. They established branches in Mexico, Brazil, and Australia. They also supplied satellite communications systems to the Comsat Corporation in 1971.

NEC PC-8801 with keyboard.jpg
NEC PC-8801 with keyboard.jpg

In the later decades, NEC became a leader in high-performance technology. They created the first digital signal processor in 1980. In 1986, they delivered the SX-2 supercomputer to the Houston Advanced Research Center.

Earth simulator ES2.jpg
Earth simulator ES2.jpg
While NEC was once a massive manufacturer of personal computers and semiconductors, its focus has changed. It spun off its PC business to Lenovo. It also spun off its semiconductor business to Renesas Electronics and Elpida Memory. Today, the company remains deeply connected to global infrastructure through its work in networks and smart systems.
NTT DoCoMo FOMA N-02C 01.jpg
NTT DoCoMo FOMA N-02C 01.jpg

577 words
🖼️ Images & Media (14)
File:NEC logo 1963.svg
NEC logo 1963.svg
File:NEC APC.jpg
NEC APC.jpg
File:NEC Versa 6O1OH.jpg
NEC Versa 6O1OH.jpg
File:NEC Mobile Gear II MCR330.jpg
NEC Mobile Gear II MCR330.jpg
File:Kaoru Yano cropped 2 Kaoru Yano and Sebastian Pinera 20101115.jpg
Kaoru Yano cropped 2 Kaoru Yano and...
File:NEC RDX drive 2022-08-10.jpg
NEC RDX drive 2022-08-10.jpg
File:NTT DoCoMo FOMA N-02C 01.jpg
NTT DoCoMo FOMA N-02C 01.jpg
File:NEC UPD705103 v833 MCU.jpg
NEC UPD705103 v833 MCU.jpg
File:NEC MONITOR E2206XG.jpg
NEC MONITOR E2206XG.jpg
File:NEC 8080AF cropped.png
NEC 8080AF cropped.png
File:NEC PC-8801 with keyboard.jpg
NEC PC-8801 with keyboard.jpg
File:NEC COMPO BS80.jpg
NEC COMPO BS80.jpg

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