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60-bit computing

Computer architecture bit width

60-bit computing

Computer architecture bit width

60-bit CDC 6600 introduced in 1964

A 60-bit word is typically used for high-precision floating-point calculations; it can also store 10 6-bit characters.

Examples

The only widely-used computers with 60-bit words were produced by Control Data Corporation (CDC), including the CDC 6000 series, the CDC 7600, and the CDC Cyber 70 and 170 series. Though the addressable unit was the 60-bit word, instructions were either 15 or 30 bits.

Early design documents for the IBM 7030 Stretch tentatively specified its word length as 60 bits; the final design used 64.

Emulator

Museum examples of 60-bit CDC machines exist. There also exists an emulator for the series which will simulate the CDC 60-bit machines on commodity hardware and operating systems.

References

References

  1. James L. Peterson, ''Computer Organization and Assembly Language Programming'', 2014, {{isbn. 1483268594, p. 46
  2. Peterson; ''Concise Encyclopedia of Computer Science'', 2004 {{isbn. 0470090952; Linda Null, Julia Lobur, ''Essentials of Computer Organization and Architecture'', 2014, {{isbn. 1284033155; John Y. Hsu, ''Computer Architecture: Software Aspects, Coding, and Hardware'', 2017, {{isbn. 1351836048
  3. Werner Buchholz, "Memory Word Length", [http://archive.computerhistory.org/resources/text/IBM/Stretch/pdfs/06-08/102632289.pdf STRETCH Memo no. 40], July 31, 1956, archived at the [[Computer History Museum]]
  4. "CDC 6000 Hardware".
  5. "Welcome to cray-cyber.org - home of Cray Research and CDC computer".
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