Shiraz Shivji

Shiraz Shivji is a Tanzanian-born computer engineer best known for work on the Commodore 64 and for leading the hardware development of the Atari ST. After studying engineering at the University of Southampton and Stanford University, he joined Commodore and worked in its semiconductor and computer engineering operations.

At Commodore, Shivji became part of the team that developed the Commodore 64. The machine combined the 6510 processor with custom graphics and sound chips, giving it unusually capable multimedia hardware at a mass-market price. It went on to become one of the best-selling home computers of its era.

When Jack Tramiel left Commodore in 1984, Shivji joined him at Tramel Technology and then Atari Corporation. As vice-president of research and development, he led a small team building a new 16-bit computer around the Motorola 68000 processor. Developed under intense time and cost pressure, the Atari ST reached the market in 1985.

The ST offered a graphical desktop, high-resolution display options and built-in MIDI ports at a price below many competing 16-bit systems. Shivji's move from Commodore to Atari made him an important technical link between two of the leading home-computer companies of the 1980s.