# AlphaStation

> DEC now HP workstation successor to the VAX

**Wikidata**: [Q4033819](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4033819)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AlphaStation)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/alphastation

## Summary
AlphaStation is a line of workstation-class computers originally developed by Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) and later produced under Compaq and Hewlett-Packard. It is positioned as the workstation successor to the VAX line and is built around DEC's 64-bit Alpha (DEC Alpha) RISC microprocessor architecture.

## Key Facts
- AlphaStation is a workstation (subclass: workstation).  
- It was developed by Digital Equipment Corporation and later manufactured by Compaq and Hewlett-Packard.  
- AlphaStation is described as the successor to the VAX family.  
- AlphaStation systems use the DEC Alpha 64-bit RISC microprocessor (DEC Alpha; inception 1992).  
- DEC (Digital Equipment Corporation) is an American information-technology company founded in 1957 with headquarters in Maynard.  
- Hewlett-Packard (the company relevant to AlphaStation production) is an American information-technology company founded in 1939 (1939–2015 as given in the source).  
- Freebase identifier: /m/0f3820.  
- Wikimedia Commons image available: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/DEC_AlphaStation_600A_(cropped).jpg  
- Wikidata/Wikipedia title: AlphaStation; Commons category: AlphaStation; language links: commons, en, ru.

## FAQs
### Q: What is AlphaStation?
A: AlphaStation is a workstation computer line originally produced by Digital Equipment Corporation and later by Compaq and Hewlett-Packard, designed as the workstation successor to DEC’s VAX systems.

### Q: What CPU architecture does AlphaStation use?
A: AlphaStation systems use the DEC Alpha family of 64-bit RISC microprocessors (DEC Alpha), an architecture that was introduced in 1992.

### Q: Who manufactured AlphaStation over its lifetime?
A: AlphaStation was developed by Digital Equipment Corporation and later manufactured under Compaq and Hewlett-Packard brands.

### Q: Is AlphaStation the same as VAX?
A: No. AlphaStation is described as the successor to the VAX family; it is a separate workstation line built around DEC’s 64-bit Alpha architecture rather than the VAX architecture.

## Why It Matters
AlphaStation represents the transition in DEC’s workstation strategy from the VAX architecture toward 64-bit RISC computing with the DEC Alpha microprocessor. As a workstation-class product line manufactured by DEC and later continued by major industry firms (Compaq and Hewlett-Packard), AlphaStation exemplifies a shift in enterprise and engineering workstations toward higher-performance, 64-bit RISC processors. That shift influenced workstation capabilities for compute-intensive applications and marked an important evolutionary step in the product lines of DEC and its successor manufacturers. For historians and technologists, AlphaStation is a notable example of architecture transition and of how processor design (the DEC Alpha) shaped workstation offerings from legacy minicomputer vendors into the broader workstation market.

## Notable For
- Using the DEC Alpha 64-bit RISC microprocessor family as its core CPU architecture.  
- Being positioned as the workstation successor to the VAX line.  
- Being produced across multiple manufacturers: originally by DEC and later by Compaq and Hewlett-Packard.  
- Having a documented media presence and category on Wikimedia Commons (image and Commons category "AlphaStation").

## Body

### Overview
- AlphaStation is classified as a workstation.  
- It is described in source material as “DEC now HP workstation successor to the VAX.”  
- The product line is associated with Digital Equipment Corporation as developer and with Compaq and Hewlett-Packard as later manufacturers.

### Architecture and Components
- The AlphaStation line is built around the DEC Alpha microprocessor family.  
- DEC Alpha is a 64-bit RISC microprocessor class; its inception is listed as 1992.  
- The DEC Alpha is explicitly listed as a part/has_part relationship of AlphaStation.

### Manufacturers and Organizational Context
- Developer/manufacturer sequence includes Digital Equipment Corporation, Compaq, and Hewlett-Packard.  
- Digital Equipment Corporation is noted as an American information-technology company with inception in 1957 and headquarters in Maynard.  
- Hewlett-Packard is noted (in the provided material) as an American information-technology company with inception in 1939 (1939–2015 as indicated in the source).

### Identifiers, Media, and References
- Freebase ID: /m/0f3820.  
- Wikidata/Wikipedia title: AlphaStation.  
- Wikimedia Commons category: AlphaStation.  
- Image available: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/DEC_AlphaStation_600A_(cropped).jpg.  
- Language links on source: commons, en, ru.  
- Sitelink count (from structured data): 3.

### Classification and Relationship to VAX
- AlphaStation is explicitly described as the successor to the VAX family of systems in the provided material.  
- It is positioned within workstation-class systems rather than the minicomputer class historically occupied by VAX systems.

(End of entry.)