Hitachi announced the HITAC 8250 in 1972 as a smaller model to the HITAC 8350/8450, a mid-range mainframe computer.
The HITAC 8250 used MSI and IC memory for faster speeds, a smaller footprint, and improved reliability. Hitachi also tried to lower the cost price by incorporating the disk, console display, paper tape, and other basic controllers within the processing unit. And because a communications controller was also housed in the processing unit, the HITAC 8250 could be used as an inexpensive online system.
A micro diagnostic system was developed for the 8250 using rewritable control memory that dramatically shortened recovery times when faults occurred.
