INFORMATION ON COMMUNIST COMPUTER CAPABILITIES

Created: 2/23/1978

OCR scan of the original document, errors are possible

8

FORi

on Communist Computer Capabilities

DIA Memo, Request for Computer Information, dated7

Attached, as requested byof your staff,

are answers tond d) of the referenced DIA memo. Please use these answers as you see fit in formulating your response to DIA.

of this Branch, who prepared the Attachment, will provide whatever additional assistance you may desire on this issue.

OH Ice oi Economic Research

Attachmenti as stated

Copy No.

"

Information on Communist Computer Capabilities

a) What are the expectations of therun per year? When will productiontc.)? Is semiconductor memory feasible <any problems)? Will core be used in an interchangeable mode?

The East Germans hope to begin production of thet the Robotron Plant Currently, this plant is producing aboutomputers per year, although it probably has the capacity to producenits per year. We expect that output of9 will be aboutnits and that output ofs will fall to aboutnits. roduction probably will be split between0ndhe plant is likely to be devoted exclusively tot the rate of aboutnits per year.

7 the East Germans exhibited at the Leipzig Spring Fair,it microprocessor designated the ZE-1. The basic RAM circuit for theK PMOS circuit which appears toirect copy of the The German part,, meets the specifications given for theemiconductor memory. Hence, if the East Germans can produce theicroprocessor, they have the capability to supply IK RAMs for tha

copy IVET

t We feel the East Germans are having difficulty

with the

East Germans have refused all purchase orders

have refused further to specify even when thesewill be available.

Since the East Germans are known to have used

j -

Western ICs (sense amplifiers) in theirhey may plan to use the3 in the It is not known if theill use ferrite core in an interchangeable mode with integrated circuit memory. Thisossibility since the Soviets specifically stated that another RYAD-II computer, theould have this capability.

b) In general, what is the status of semiconductor memory research and production in the USSR?

The USSR has an active program for the development of semiconductor memory devices. Partly, the USSR is developing itB own devices; and partly, it is attempting to copy US devices. Native Soviet devices carried in catalogs are listed in Table 1. US devices that the Soviets are copying, together with the Soviet models developed by copying, are given in Table 2.

ia? stSt

Tha only Soviet semiconductor memory ICs that are known to be in use in series production computers areU2. The RU1elatively low density device (TTLit RAH) that we think is being used in the RYAD computer system. Model It is used in local storage, rathur than main memory; theuch higher density device (TTLit RAM) being used with the Inhortages ofere holding up production of the Possibly the Soviets were having trouble with the quality or reliability of these devices. It is not know if these shortages are continuing.

indicates that one other device,it CMOS static RAM, may also be in production. No further in'ornation on its production or use is available. Our best judgement is that few, if any, Soviet RAMs of IK bits or higher have progressed any further than pilot scale production. For ROMs, we doubt that the Soviets have progressed further than pilot scale production of 2K, or higher density devices.

The fact that several native devices are listed in Soviet catalogs should not be taken as an indication that they are readily available, or indeed, available at all. We know that some integrated circuits listed in earlier catalogs

never entered production, and that lt is not uncommon for the USSR to listear or more before they are actually put into production. Also, it is known that the USSR produces integrated circuits which have never appeared in catalogsincluding some that are used in commercial equipment.

c) Does the PRC haveIL core capability?

See OSI Comments on question c.

d) Howss have been produced and what

is the production rate now and expected?

i

Theas been in regular series production at the Minsk Computer Plant since6 althoughs were produced5 for test and evaluation. Inhe Soviets announced that the Brest Computer Plant also had commenced production of the

probably at Minsk sine* Brest did not begin production until vary late in tha yeir. Some of2 production may represent only modificationsa previously He note that significant numbers of0 users had shipped their computers back to the factory for conversions.

The capacity of the Minsk Plant has beentystems per year. The capacity of the Brest Plant would be substantially below that figure. If both plants were producing at capacitys could have been produced.

Production8 is more difficult to assess. This isransition year, as the Minsk Plant (and, possibly Brest also) is converting to production of the higher capacitynd We feel that production of thaay have already ceased, or soon will cease, and that output of thia model8 will be small.

Theas been in production at the Kazan

Computer Plant since

Howevor, we believe output to date has been small for

two reasons: first, tha nuber of observed installationss is small in relation2 installations. Secondly, production at tho Kazan Plant has been delayedack of required integrated circuits (see question

above). In several instances, the production of thohas had to be halted to await delivery of parts. 5 the Kazan plant produced anomputers, approximating theapacity. Output of theas substantially below plant capacity, probably lessomputers. If IC supply problems have been solved, Kazan could produces8 and thereafter. He have no indication that Kazan is converting to productionYAD-II model, but thistrong possibility.

Do weood handle onnstallations? What is the production rate now? Will the production run end?

We can account for aboutnstallations in the USSR and Eastern Europe {and India). Theas been in aeries production at the Moscow Computer Plant7 at the rate of about one per month orer year. Several models were produced prior7 for test and evaluation. Thus,7 weESM-6's have been produced. Probably theill atay in production until some of the newer ecien-ific computersome on-stream, perhaps by the end of this decade.

-6-

top *fer

Memory Devices Listed in Catalogs

Devico

RU1

AP011

MPS

it Static RAMit RAMit Static RAM 2S6 bit Static RAM

ititit ROM 1/

Bipolar

CMOS MOSMOS-CMOS

MOSOS T/

mos r/

U2

it RAM4 bit RAM6 bit RAM T/it RAM TV

ECCi TTL TTL

1/ Not further Identified.

7/ Electrically reprogrammable and partial decoding.

Table 2

US Semiconductor Memory Devices Being Copied by the USSR

of

Part

700

Dev.

/

(

J

M1

U1U2 T.

1/ Soviet model copied from ono of tha indicated group)

tui,.

Original document.

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