It was designed by James W. Bryce,[2] and included circuits patented by A. Halsey Dickenson in 1937.

[3] The IBM 603 was developed in Endicott, New York, and announced on September 27, 1946.

[4] IBM's CEO Thomas J. Watson was doubtful of the product, but commercialization was pushed for by his son Thomas J. Watson Jr.[5] Only about 20 were built since the bulky tubes made it hard to manufacture, but the demand showed that the product was filling a need.

[6] Ralph Palmer and Jerrier Haddad were hired to develop a more refined and versatile version of the 603, which became the IBM 604 Electronic Calculating Punch.

[1] The 604 used miniature tubes and a patented design for pluggable modules, which made the product easier to manufacture and service.