Sure, workstations didn&#x27;t need 64-bit at that time. But servers did, and at that time Windows was still trying to prove its credibility as a server OS vs the incumbent Sun&#x2F;HP&#x2F;IBM&#x2F;etc platforms. Another field where 64-bit was an even more urgent requirement was HPC. At the time HPC was more focused on big iron than PC clusters.<p>Here&#x27;s a classic post from John Mashey outlining the rationale for 64-bit in the early 90s: <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;yarchive.net&#x2F;comp&#x2F;64bit.html" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;yarchive.net&#x2F;comp&#x2F;64bit.html</a><p>Also remember how long and painful the 16-to-32 transition was on Microsoft&#x27;s platforms. They had every reason to get their platform and running up many years before customers needed the 64-bit apps.