Atanasoff–Berry Computer
Atanasoff-Berry Computer
- Date
- 1942 · confidence high
- Place
- Ames, Iowa, United States
- Credited to
- John Vincent Atanasoff and Clifford Berry
- Field
- Knowledge & symbols
⚠️ Disputed: the sources disagree.
What it is
The first automatic electronic digital computer, a pioneer in using vacuum tubes to perform arithmetic calculations faster; it was neither programmable nor Turing-complete.
Its historical priority is debated among computing historians, precisely because it was neither programmable nor Turing-complete.
What it led to
- The first electronic arithmetic logic unit, now integrated into every processor
- A technical precedent cited in patent disputes over the ENIAC