DTK Computer

Datatech Enterprises Co., Ltd.

Company type	Private
Industry	Computer hardware
Founded	1 January 1981 (1981-01-01) in Taipei, Taiwan
Founder	Team of eight founders
Headquarters	Taipei , Taiwan
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Duke Liao (President of U.S. branch)
Products	PC-compatible motherboards, peripherals, personal computers, laptops, workstations, servers
Number of employees	1000 (global, 1989)

DTK Computer represents the global divisions of Datatech Enterprises Co., Ltd., a Taiwanese manufacturer of computer hardware founded in 1981. Originally focused on supplying PC-compatible motherboards and peripherals, the company transitioned in the late 1980s to producing full computer systems under the DTK name, while also functioning as an OEM provider of motherboards and chassis to various computer manufacturers and system integrators.

Although DTK was not a household name, it achieved significant commercial success. By 1991, it had become Taiwan's second-largest computer system producer after Acer and held the 10th and 11th positions worldwide for personal computer manufacturing in 1991 and 1992, respectively.

Establishment and growth (1981–1989)

Founded in Taipei in 1981 by a team of eight with an initial capital of US$15,000, Datatech Enterprises expanded to 24 employees following a capital increase to US$337,000 in 1982. The U.S. branch, DTK Computer, was launched in 1986 by President Duke Liao. Initially based in Rosemead, California, the office moved to City of Industry in 1989 to better accommodate warehousing requirements and improve employee accessibility; by 1993, this branch had grown to about 100 staff members.

By 1989, Datatech’s global workforce numbered approximately 1,000 employees. Its Taiwan research and development center expanded from 45 to 72 engineers that year. The R&D unit operated with a flat organizational structure that promoted innovation among engineers and embraced flexible working hours without mandatory time clocks. Despite limited space, the team developed products supporting various platforms including IBM PC compatibles, Micro Channel architecture, and SPARC systems.

The Systems Development division was organized into architecture-focused groups primarily staffed by electrical engineering graduates. Backed by financial support from Taiwan's Institute for Information Industry, Datatech designed its own chipsets while also sourcing components from VLSI Technology and Chips and Technologies. The ASIC team consisted of around 20 engineers who received on-the-job training supplemented by industry seminars; this group benefited from funding provided by the Electronics Research Service Organization.

Engineering design processes incorporated sophisticated electronic design automation software like ECAD Dracula for design-rule verification and Daisy Systems for circuit simulation. The company demonstrated agility by acquiring new equipment within two weeks—a pace notably quicker than domestic competitor Acer.

A key differentiator was Datatech’s development of an independent BIOS for IBM PC compatibles starting in 1985. This clean-room BIOS creation was motivated by concerns over potential IBM legal challenges. Beyond ensuring autonomy, this effort enhanced technical expertise that benefited other R&D areas such as ASIC development.

Continued growth (1989–1999)

DTK Computer broadened its U.S. footprint in 1988 by leasing a 17,700-square-foot office space in Houston’s Alief area. Subsequently, production facilities were established in Elk Grove Village, Illinois; Norcross, Georgia; Miami, Florida; and New Jersey. In the early 1990s, DTK commenced domestic computer assembly at a 150,000-square-foot plant in Norcross, distributing products both within the U.S. and internationally—including shipments to Hong Kong. The Miami location supported expanding sales across Latin America.

In 1991, DTK became one of the pioneers in selling computers through satellite television via Satellite Market USA’s "Satellite Computer Store." By 1992, the company opened two retail outlets aimed at resellers rather than direct consumers, displaying its Grafika multimedia PCs alongside promotional materials in Kansas and Nashville. By 1994, DTK reported U.S. revenues reaching $99 million with sales totaling 46,000 units.

On the international stage, Duke Liao established DTK’s Hong Kong arm Gemlight Computer in 1990. Datatech further extended its presence into Japan, India, Mainland China (Shenzhen), and launched DTK Computer FZE in Dubai in 1996. Japan represented an important market especially for its SPARC workstation products. Around the mid-1990s, the Taiwanese division rebranded as Advance Creative Computer and concentrated on PowerPC- and UltraSPARC-based systems as well as Java internet appliances. However, PowerPC development ceased in 1996 due to Apple’s restrictive approach toward open architectures; nonetheless, work on UltraSPARC machines and Java appliances continued. In Europe, DTK established subsidiaries across Germany, Austria, Poland, Hungary, and Moscow.

Downturn (1999–2009)

Gemlight Hong Kong ceased operations around 2001. By 2002, DTK Computer had shut down its United States offices and completed dissolution paperwork in 2005. The Taiwanese website of the company was discontinued in 2009.

As of now, DTK Computer FZE located in Dubai continues to operate.

Products

Clarifications

• The term Superserver designates servers equipped with removable drive bays.
• Grafika computers were delivered fully assembled, running MS-DOS 5.0 and Windows 3.0, and included peripherals such as keyboard and mouse.

Personal computers

FEAT-2500 i486\ Intel 80486 25 64–256 Desktop 1990-01 FEAT-2502 i486\ Intel 80486 25 64–256 Server 1990-01 FEAT-2503 i486\ Intel 80486 25 64–256 Superserver 1990-01 FEAT-3300 i486\ Intel 80486 33 64–256 Tower 1990-01 FEAT-03 Intel 80486 33 Tower or desktop 1993-06 FEAT-38 i486DX2\ Intel 80486DX2 66 128 Mini-tower 1994 FEAT-35 i486DX2\ Intel 80486DX2 66 256 Mini-tower 1994 FEAT-39M i486DX4\ Intel 80486DX4 100 Mini-tower 1995 FEAT-62 i486DX2\ Intel 80486DX2 66 128–256 Slimline 1994 SPAN-3300 i486\ Intel 80486 33 Desktop 1990 The Grafika series, including models from Grafika 2A through Grafika 4J, incorporated processors ranging from the Intel 80286 up to the Intel 80486, with clock speeds between 16 and 66 MHz. These were available in desktop, tower, and mini-tower designs and launched between late 1991 and late 1992. These systems came fully configured targeting business users. The QUIN lineup (models QUIN‑32 to QUIN‑61) featured original Pentium CPUs with clock rates from 60 to 133 MHz, L2 cache sizes between 256 and 1024 KB, and were offered in mid-tower or mini-desktop cases during the mid‑1990s. APRI models (APRI‑31 through APRI‑81S) utilized Pentium Pro, dual Pentium Pro, and Pentium II processors delivering clock speeds from 180 to 450 MHz. These systems primarily came in tower form factors designed for high-performance business environments between 1996 and 1999.

DTK personal computer lineup

Model	CPU	Clock speed (MHz)	L2 cache (KB)	Case type	Release date
DATA-1000	Intel 8088	10	0	Desktop	1987
TECH-1230	Intel 80286	12	0	Mini-desktop	1989
TECH-1263	Intel 80286	12	0	Slimline	1990
TECH-1632	Intel 80286	16	0	Mini-desktop	1990
KEEN-2000D	Intel 80386	20	0	Desktop	1988-11
KEEN-2000T	Intel 80386	20	0	Tower	1988-11
KEEN-2032	Intel 80386	20	0	Mini-desktop	1989
KEEN-2500	Intel 80386	25	0	Desktop	1989-09
KEEN-2503	Intel 80386	25	0	Server	1989-09
KEEN-2530	Intel 80386	25	0	Mini-desktop	1990
KEEN-2531	Intel 80386	25		Desktop	1991-01
KEEN-2561	Intel 80386	25		Mini-desktop	1992
KEEN-3302	Intel 80386	33	64–256	Desktop	1990
KEEN-3304	Intel 80386	33	64–256	Server	1990
KEEN-3332	Intel 80386	33	64–256	Tower	1991-01
KEEN-3335	Intel 80386	33	64–256	Tower	1992
KEEN-3336	Intel 80386	33	64–256	Desktop	1992
KEEN-4030	Intel 80386	40	64–256	Desktop	1992
KEEN-4035	Intel 80386	40	64–256	Tower	1992
KEEN-3362	Intel 80386	33	64–256	Desktop	1992
PEER-1630	Intel 80386SX	16	0	Mini-desktop	1990
PEER-1632	Intel 80386SX	16	0	Desktop	1990
PEER-1660	Intel 80386SX	16	0	Slimline	1990
PEER-2030	Intel 80386SX	20	0	Mini-desktop	1990

Laptops

DTK laptop models

Model	CPU	Clock frequency (MHz)	Memory (MB)	LCD type	Launch date
DNB/1	Intel 80386SX	16	1–5	Passive-matrix monochrome display	Template:Date table sorting
DSN-3340C	Intel 80486SX	33	4	Passive-matrix color display	Template:Date table sorting
DSN-3340	Intel 80486SX	33	4	Passive-matrix monochrome display	Template:Date table sorting
DTN-5P60A	Intel Pentium	60	8–40	Passive-matrix color or monochrome display	Template:Date table sorting
DTN-4T66P	Intel 80486DX2	66	4–52	Passive-matrix color display	Template:Date table sorting
DTN-4T66M	Intel 80486DX2	66	4–52	Passive-matrix monochrome display	Template:Date table sorting
DTN-4T100P	Intel 80486DX4	100	8–40	Passive-matrix color display	Template:Date table sorting
DTN-5P90	Intel Pentium	90	16–40	Passive-matrix color display	Template:Date table sorting
DTM-5A120C	Intel Pentium	120	2–?	Active-matrix color display	Template:Date table sorting
FortisPro Top5A233	Pentium MMX	233	32–144	Active-matrix color display	Template:Date table sorting

Workstations and servers

Model	Processor	Clock speed (MHz)	Form factor	Release date

Model	Processor	Clock speed (MHz)	Form factor	Release date

Model	Processor	Clock speed (MHz)	Form factor	Release date

Model	Processor	Clock speed (MHz)	Form factor	Release date

Model	Processor	Clock speed (MHz)	Form factor	Release date

Model	Processor	Clock speed (MHz)	Form factor	Release date

Model	Processor	Clock speed (MHz)	Form factor	Release date

Model	Processor	Clock speed (MHz)	Form factor	Release date

Model	Processor	Clock speed (MHz)	Form factor	Release date

Model	Processor	Clock speed (MHz)	Form factor	Release date

Model	Processor	Clock speed (MHz)	Form factor	Release date

Model	Processor	Clock speed (MHz)	Form factor	Release date

Model	Processor	Clock speed (MHz)	Form factor	Release date

Model	Processor	Clock speed (MHz)	Form factor	Release date

Model	Processor	Clock speed (MHz)	Form factor	Release date

Model	Processor	Clock speed (MHz)	Form factor	Release date

Model	!Processor	!Clock speed (MHz)	!Form factor	!Release date

Model	!Processor	!Clock speed (MHz)	!Form factor	!Release date

Model	!Processor	!Clock speed (MHz)	!Form factor	!Release date

Model	!Processor	!Clock speed (MHz)	!Form factor	!Release date

Model	!Processor	!Clock speed (MHz)	!Form factor	!Release date

Model	!Processor	!Clock speed (MHz)	!Form factor	!Release date

Model	! Processor	! Clock frequency (MHz)	! Chassis type	! Release date

|- |Station M30 || MicroSPARC || 30 || Tower || |- |Station M41 || MicroSPARC || 40 || Tower || |- |Station Classic+ || MicroSPARC || 50 || Tower || |- |Cosmos II NT Server || Pentium II Xeon (dual) || 450 || Tower || |- |Vista II NT Server || Pentium II Xeon (quad) || 400 || Tower || |- |Grafika 550 NT Workstation || Pentium III || 733 || Tower || |}

External links

• Archived official site (language: )
• Archived official site (language: )