Norsk Data was a
minicomputer
A minicomputer, or colloquially mini, is a type of general-purpose computer mostly developed from the mid-1960s, built significantly smaller and sold at a much lower price than mainframe computers . By 21st century-standards however, a mini is ...
manufacturer
Manufacturing is the creation or Production (economics), production of goods with the help of equipment, Work (human activity), labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of the
secondary se ...
located in
Oslo
Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...
,
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
. Existing from 1967 to 1998, it had its most active period from the early 1970s to the late 1980s. At the company's peak in 1987, it was the second largest company in Norway and employed over 4,500 people.
Throughout its history Norsk Data produced a long string of extremely innovative systems, with a disproportionately large number of world firsts. Some examples of this are the
NORD-1, the first minicomputer to have memory
paging
In computer operating systems, memory paging is a memory management scheme that allows the physical Computer memory, memory used by a program to be non-contiguous. This also helps avoid the problem of memory fragmentation and requiring compact ...
as a standard option, and the first machine to have
floating-point
In computing, floating-point arithmetic (FP) is arithmetic on subsets of real numbers formed by a ''significand'' (a Sign (mathematics), signed sequence of a fixed number of digits in some Radix, base) multiplied by an integer power of that ba ...
instructions standard, the
NORD-5, the world's first
32-bit
In computer architecture, 32-bit computing refers to computer systems with a processor, memory, and other major system components that operate on data in a maximum of 32- bit units. Compared to smaller bit widths, 32-bit computers can perform la ...
minicomputer (beating the
VAX, often claimed the first, by 6 years).
Historical overview

The origins of Norsk Data go back to the development of digital computers at the
Norwegian Defense Research Establishment at
Kjeller,
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
, where several early computers had been designed, such as the
SAM and the
SAM 2, also known as the FLINK.
The success of this program resulted in the founding of ''A/S Nordata – Norsk Data Elektronikk'' on August 8, 1967, by
Lars Monrad Krohn, Per Bjørge and
Rolf Skår. The company became a significant supplier of minicomputers to many research projects, in particular to
CERN
The European Organization for Nuclear Research, known as CERN (; ; ), is an intergovernmental organization that operates the largest particle physics laboratory in the world. Established in 1954, it is based in Meyrin, western suburb of Gene ...
in
Geneva
Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...
,
Switzerland
Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
, where they were chosen to produce the computers for many projects, starting with the
SPS Project, Norsk Data's international breakthrough contract. The other market segments Norsk Data succeeded in were process control, Norwegian
municipal administration data center
A data center is a building, a dedicated space within a building, or a group of buildings used to house computer systems and associated components, such as telecommunications and storage systems.
Since IT operations are crucial for busines ...
s, newspapers, as well as parts of the educational, health, and university sector.
For a period in 1987, Norsk Data was the second largest company by stock value in Norway, second only to
Norsk Hydro, and employed over 4,500 people.
In March 1991, shortly after the
January Events
The January Events () were a series of violent confrontations between the civilian population of Lithuania, supporting independence, and the Soviet Armed Forces. The events took place between 11 and 13 January 1991, after the Act of the Re-Esta ...
, Norsk Data donated the first computer to Lithuanian Institute of Mathematics and Informatics. This donation started the development of
LITNET, an academic and research network in
Lithuania
Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...
. Later that year, the network connection lines directly connecting
Vilnius
Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...
to
Moscow
Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
were shut down. With the help of additional hardware donated by Norsk Data, Lithuania was able to use its first
satellite-based Internet connection, which operated at 9.6 kbit/s. This was the first Lithuanian communications line that was totally independent from the former
Soviet Union
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
.
After a long period of exceptional success, the Norsk Data "empire" collapsed in the early 1990s, mostly due to not realizing the impact of the
PC revolution as well as the growing competition from
Unix
Unix (, ; trademarked as UNIX) is a family of multitasking, multi-user computer operating systems that derive from the original AT&T Unix, whose development started in 1969 at the Bell Labs research center by Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, a ...
-based systems.
In 1987, Norsk Data sought to expand its collaboration with
DIAB of Sweden to provide UNIX-based systems in Norsk Data's portfolio, to offer "a complete UNIX concept" together with the company's ND-5000 products.
1988 saw the company sign an agreement with the
Santa Cruz Operation
The Santa Cruz Operation, Inc. (usually known as SCO, pronounced either as individual letters or as a word) was an American software company, based in Santa Cruz, California, that was best known for selling three Unix operating system variants ...
to offer SCO's System V product on its
Intel
Intel Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California, and Delaware General Corporation Law, incorporated in Delaware. Intel designs, manufactures, and sells computer compo ...
-based personal computer systems.
In 1989, alongside upgraded versions of the company's proprietary minicomputer range, notably the ND-5850, attempts were made to introduce Unix products such as the Uniline 33 range, based on
Motorola
Motorola, Inc. () was an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois. It was founded by brothers Paul and Joseph Galvin in 1928 and had been named Motorola since 1947. Many of Motorola's products had been ...
system designs for the
68030 processor. Such conventional Unix systems were primarily aimed at international customers, whereas in
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...
the company reportedly sought to offer only its NDIX implementation of Unix for its own proprietary architecture. Systems based on Motorola's
88000 processor were planned to follow on from these new 68030-based products.
Efforts to restructure the company in 1990 were initially perceived as moderately successful, with executives and analysts expressing beliefs that such restructuring had put the company in a more favourable position than competitors who were yet "to swallow the same bitter pill" of refocusing and workforce reductions.
Development of Norsk Data technology was continued by
Dolphin Server Technology, with this spin-off company aiming to supply Motorola 88000-based systems to its parent.
Indeed, Norsk Data introduced the Uniline 88 series of 88000-based systems, developed by Dolphin, initially in Scandinavia during 1990 and then in the UK and Germany during 1991.
Norsk Data also announced an agreement with
Data General
Data General Corporation was an early minicomputer firm formed in 1968. Three of the four founders were former employees of Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC).
Their first product, 1969's Data General Nova, was a 16-bit minicomputer intended to ...
to resell that company's Aviion line of 88000-based products.
Ultimately, having reorganised and rebranded its operations and having sold off numerous divisions, including Dolphin to a Telenor subsidiary, the remaining parts of Norsk Data were purchased by Telenor.
Notable innovations
Throughout the times, Norsk Data produced a long string of innovative computers. Some examples of this include:
* The
NORD-1, the first
minicomputer
A minicomputer, or colloquially mini, is a type of general-purpose computer mostly developed from the mid-1960s, built significantly smaller and sold at a much lower price than mainframe computers . By 21st century-standards however, a mini is ...
to have memory paging as a standard option, and the first machine to have floating-point instructions as standard
* The
NORD-5, in combination with NORD-1,
the world's first 32-bit minicomputer or
superminicomputer
A superminicomputer, colloquially supermini, is a high-end minicomputer. The term is used to distinguish the emerging 32-bit architecture midrange computers introduced in the mid to late 1970s from the classical 16-bit systems that preceded them ...
, introduced in 1972,
preceding both the
Interdata 7/32 and
Digital Equipment Corporation
Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC ), using the trademark Digital, was a major American company in the computer industry from the 1960s to the 1990s. The company was co-founded by Ken Olsen and Harlan Anderson in 1957. Olsen was president until ...
VAX that are occasionally cited as the first of their kind
* The
NORD-100, a very early application of
bitslicing in minicomputers
* The KPS (Knowledge Process System), developed in joint venture with
Racal plc, a system which pioneered running a multi-user
LISP machine environment
Post-breakup companies
Although the Norsk Data breakup caused a large number of layoffs, a large number of employees and intellectual property lived on in various smaller companies. Some went bankrupt quite quickly, some were bought for tax purposes.
The hardware research and development group was split off into Dolphin Server Technology in 1989.
Dolphin later split off into a number of companies, by far the most successful of these being
Dolphin Interconnect Solutions, a
cluster interconnect hardware company.
Norsk Data UK
In the
UK,
Telenor
Telenor ASA ( or ) is a Norwegian majority state-owned multinational telecommunications company headquartered at Fornebu in Bærum, close to Oslo. It is one of the world's largest mobile telecommunications companies with operations worldwi ...
kept the Norsk Data name for several years, focusing in on hardware support and maintenance contracts, mainly with
HMCG and local governments.
At the tail end of the "
dotcom boom" Telenor decided to try and expand the service by acquiring the ISP
CIX and XTML, a hosting company in
Manchester
Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...
, UK.
The total expenditure on acquisitions was more than £50 million.
The name and business focus of this group of companies changed several times in the early 21st Century. Initially combined with the acquired CIX and XTML to form the UK arm of Telenor's Nextra subsidiary,
a "communications service provider",
the group became Telenor Business Solutions before finally reverting to ND Norsk Data once CIX and XTML had been resold to Pipex, reportedly for less than 10% of the purchase price. Much of the loss in value of the acquired companies was put down to the astronomical "goodwill" payment included in the purchase price during the "dotcom boom".
In 2003, Norsk Data was eventually acquired by 2e2, an IT services business pursuing rapid growth through acquisition,
joining various other established businesses including elements of PinkRoccade UK Group and ROCC Computers.
This bolstered the hardware maintenance side of the company. The growth by acquisition trend continued with several smaller businesses being taken on, and many employees subsequently being laid off. Major losses of high earning contracts such as Thomas Cook, Woolworths, HMP, or Corus, were never replaced with similar-sized customers.
Hardware
Significant Norsk Data computer models include:
*
NORD-1,
16-bit
16-bit microcomputers are microcomputers that use 16-bit microprocessors.
A 16-bit register can store 216 different values. The range of integer values that can be stored in 16 bits depends on the integer representation used. With the two ...
minicomputer
A minicomputer, or colloquially mini, is a type of general-purpose computer mostly developed from the mid-1960s, built significantly smaller and sold at a much lower price than mainframe computers . By 21st century-standards however, a mini is ...
launched in 1968, could run TSS (see below) from 1971
*
NORD-5,
32-bit
In computer architecture, 32-bit computing refers to computer systems with a processor, memory, and other major system components that operate on data in a maximum of 32- bit units. Compared to smaller bit widths, 32-bit computers can perform la ...
supermini
The B-segment is the second smallest of the European segments for passenger cars between the A-segment and C-segment, and commonly described as "small cars". The B-segment is the third largest segment in Europe by volume, accounting for 15. ...
launched in 1972
*
NORD-9,
*
NORD-10, 16-bit mini launched in 1973
*
NORD-10/S, version of the Nord-10 with cache, paging, and other improvements
*
NORD-50, second generation 32-bit supermini in 1975
*
NORD-100, 16-bit, from 1978, later renamed ND-100. First single-board 16-bit minicomputer CPU.
*
ND-500, third generation 32-bit supermini in 1981
*
ND-505, a version of the ND-500 with 29 bit addresses allowed through the
CoCom embargo of the
Eastern bloc
The Eastern Bloc, also known as the Communist Bloc (Combloc), the Socialist Bloc, the Workers Bloc, and the Soviet Bloc, was an unofficial coalition of communist states of Central and Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America that were a ...
*
ND-5000 ("Samson"), fourth generation 32-bit supermini in 1987 (5400, 5700, 5800)
*
ND-5850 ("Rallar"), fifth generation 32-bit supermini in 1987
*ND-5900-2, ND-5900-3, and ND-5904, dual-, triple- and quad-CPU 5000 series machines.
*ND-88000 – ND implementation of the Motorola
MC88000 RISC for Unix/NDix – 1987
Software
In addition to hardware, Norsk Data also produced a wide range of system and application software:
*
NORD-TSS – Nord
Time Sharing System from 1971
*
SINTRAN –
Operating system
An operating system (OS) is system software that manages computer hardware and software resources, and provides common daemon (computing), services for computer programs.
Time-sharing operating systems scheduler (computing), schedule tasks for ...
for Nord 10 and later models, version III from 1973, III/VS in 1974
* XMSG – OSI based (
X21 and
X.25
X.25 is an ITU-T standard protocol suite for Packet switched network, packet-switched data communication in wide area network, wide area networks (WAN). It was originally defined by the CCITT, International Telegraph and Telephone Consultative Co ...
) communication system, integrated with SINTRAN, with support for both
synchronous and
asynchronous communication
In telecommunications, asynchronous communication is transmission of data, generally without the use of an external clock signal, where data can be transmitted intermittently rather than in a steady stream. Any timing required to recover data fro ...
in 1974 and on. Full
LU 6.2 support in 1982
*SIBAS
database
In computing, a database is an organized collection of data or a type of data store based on the use of a database management system (DBMS), the software that interacts with end users, applications, and the database itself to capture and a ...
based on the
Codasyl database specifications was ported by the Central Institute for Industrial Research in 1975 SIBAS is owned by SRS.
*
FORTRAN compiler
In computing, a compiler is a computer program that Translator (computing), translates computer code written in one programming language (the ''source'' language) into another language (the ''target'' language). The name "compiler" is primaril ...
*ND-Paint Graphic editing –
Windows
Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...
based
*
BASIC
Basic or BASIC may refer to:
Science and technology
* BASIC, a computer programming language
* Basic (chemistry), having the properties of a base
* Basic access authentication, in HTTP
Entertainment
* Basic (film), ''Basic'' (film), a 2003 film
...
compiler developed in
Kiel
Kiel ( ; ) is the capital and most populous city in the northern Germany, German state of Schleswig-Holstein. With a population of around 250,000, it is Germany's largest city on the Baltic Sea. It is located on the Kieler Förde inlet of the Ba ...
and
Mülheim an der Ruhr
Mülheim, officially Mülheim an der Ruhr (, ; ; ) and also described as ''"City on the River"'', is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia in western Germany. It is located in the Ruhr Area between Duisburg, Essen, Oberhausen and Ratingen. It is home ...
,
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
with the CAT-System (Common Abstract Tree-Language) using the
Vienna Development Method, 1983
*
COBOL
COBOL (; an acronym for "common business-oriented language") is a compiled English-like computer programming language designed for business use. It is an imperative, procedural, and, since 2002, object-oriented language. COBOL is primarily ...
compiler
*
C compiler for ND-100/ND-500 developed by University of Luleå, and IAR Systems AB, Sweden, in cooperation with Norsk Data A.S, 1984. A later C compiler developed in Kiel and Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany with the CAT-System using the Vienna Development Method, 1987.
*
ND-COSMOS – computer networking system
*
PLANC compiler – PLANC was the system language of Norsk Data – a language "defined by its implementation", similar to C, but assignment left to right, as you read: A + 1 =: A same as A++
*
Pascal compiler developed by Prof. Dr. Hans Langmaack and his team at
Kiel University in Germany with the CAT-System using the
Vienna Development Method, 1987
*
PED – "Programmer's EDitor" Screen oriented
text editor
A text editor is a type of computer program that edits plain text. An example of such program is "notepad" software (e.g. Windows Notepad). Text editors are provided with operating systems and software development packages, and can be used to c ...
*
LED
A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor device that emits light when current flows through it. Electrons in the semiconductor recombine with electron holes, releasing energy in the form of photons. The color of the light (corresp ...
– "Language-sensitive programmer's EDitor" Screen oriented
text editor
A text editor is a type of computer program that edits plain text. An example of such program is "notepad" software (e.g. Windows Notepad). Text editors are provided with operating systems and software development packages, and can be used to c ...
and
debugger
A debugger is a computer program used to test and debug other programs (the "target" programs). Common features of debuggers include the ability to run or halt the target program using breakpoints, step through code line by line, and display ...
– complete Integrated Development Environment made for own use.
*
ND-NOTIS – Integrated, modular
word processing A word processor (WP) is a device or computer program that provides for input, editing, formatting, and output of text, often with some additional features.
Word processor (electronic device), Early word processors were stand-alone devices dedicate ...
and office application suite with ties to database and customer applications.
*NORTEXT – typesetting system integrated with ND-NOTIS and SIBAS
*
Lisp Machine Lisp – MIT Lisp machine lisp developed in a joint venture Racal-Norsk (ZetaLisp).
*Technovision – CAD system developed in Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany.
Technovision was a modular
CAD/CAM system which was internationally considered to be one of the best on the market. It was in part designed by Norsk Data Dietz GmbH. A special
workstation
A workstation is a special computer designed for technical or computational science, scientific applications. Intended primarily to be used by a single user, they are commonly connected to a local area network and run multi-user operating syste ...
named the Technostation was designed specifically for running Technovision. It was extremely well received by international press, and even won a design award.
*BIBDIA – Library system developed by Norsk Data Dietz GmbH in Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany.
BIBDIA was further developed by BiBer GmbH since 1992. The current WEB-based version is still running as a market leader in Germany and Switzerland.
In addition to the above:
* two
batch languages, called JEC and XCOM. JEC were used primarily as a simple batch job controller, whereas XCOM was used for much more involved routines such as operating system patches etc. Most of the applications came in two different editions, one compiled for the NORD-10/ND-100 series and one compiled for the ND-500/ND-5000 series.
* ND spun off NOTIS-WP and NOTIS-RG into NOTIS AS, which later changed its name to Maxware.
NOTIS-QL was copied by Microsoft, where it is called Access (the internal name for NOTIS-QL was "Access-1") but the original was sold to Sysdeco and sold now with the name "QBEVision".
Tim Berners-Lee connection
The
ENQUIRE
ENQUIRE was a software project written in 1980 by Tim Berners-Lee at CERN, which was the predecessor to the World Wide Web. It was a simple hypertext program that had some of the same ideas as the Web and the Semantic Web but was different in s ...
program, a predecessor of the
World Wide Web
The World Wide Web (WWW or simply the Web) is an information system that enables Content (media), content sharing over the Internet through user-friendly ways meant to appeal to users beyond Information technology, IT specialists and hobbyis ...
from its creator,
Tim Berners-Lee
Sir Timothy John Berners-Lee (born 8 June 1955), also known as TimBL, is an English computer scientist best known as the inventor of the World Wide Web, the HTML markup language, the URL system, and HTTP. He is a professorial research fellow a ...
, was developed and run on Norsk Data machines running
SINTRAN III at
CERN
The European Organization for Nuclear Research, known as CERN (; ; ), is an intergovernmental organization that operates the largest particle physics laboratory in the world. Established in 1954, it is based in Meyrin, western suburb of Gene ...
.
Written in Pascal and, in principle, portable to other systems, it saw no further use beyond that of its developer and the source code was eventually lost.
References
External links
Norsk Data Forum- a Norwegian site operated by ND ex-employees.
Norsk Data Pakistan Private LimitedComputer-Archiv - Norsk DataA Norsk Data pageoperated by Tore Bekkedal
NDWiki, The Norsk Data encyclopediaBiBer GmbH- a German Company founded by ND ex-employees.
{{Authority control
Minicomputers
Defunct computer hardware companies
Defunct computer systems companies
Defunct companies of Norway
Computer companies of Norway
1967 establishments in Norway
Computer companies established in 1967
Computer companies disestablished in 1992
1992 disestablishments in Norway