Abstract :
`As technologies converge, the industries based upon them inevitably collide¿, as a recent E&P `Focus¿ article said.* No current technological development is likely to shape our future as much as the convergence of the semiconductor and computer technologies, and this convergence is now inevitably leading to a very real collision between the semiconductor companies and the established computer industry. This collision is shown most clearly by the introduction of minicomputer-like 16-bit `supermicros¿, which are bringing the semiconductor and minicomputer companies into direct competition. However, this development is just part of the far-reaching confrontation between the two industries
