Swedish Board for Computing Machinery
Encyclopedia
The Swedish Board for Computing Machinery, Matematikmaskinnämnden (MMN), was a Swedish government agency which built Sweden
's first computer
s, BARK
and BESK
.
A governmental study into the need for computing machinery in Sweden had been conducted in 1947 by initiative of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences
and the Naval Procurement Agency. The study recommended the immediate purchase of computing machinery from the United States
and a budget of 2 million SEK
was allocated for the purpose.
The Swedish Board for Computing Machinery was established on November 26, 1948, to handle the purchase. The Academy of Engineering Sciences had initiated some activities already in 1947 by sending five young engineers and scientists to research groups in the United States to study the ongoing activities. Two were sent to John von Neumann
at Princeton, two to Howard H. Aiken at Harvard, and one to IBM
.
When it turned out that it would not be possible for Sweden to get export licences for US-built computers, the activities of MMN quickly changed into constructing rather than importing computing machinery. The relay
-based BARK, operational in 1950, was built as an interim measure. This was followed by the vacuum tube
-based BESK, operational in 1954, which for a short time was the fastest computer in the world.
In 1963, MMN was closed down. At that time, the Swedish government felt that there was no need for further computer development by a government agency, as computers were now an industrial product. MMN had never received funds to launch developments of a new generation of transistor
-based computers, so when they were closed down, they were no longer in the forefront of computer development. Some years before, FACIT
had recruited many key employees from MMN to its new division for electronic computers. FACIT EDB was essentially a transistor-based version of BESK.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
's first computer
Computer
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
s, BARK
BARK
BARK was an early electromechanical computer. BARK was built using standard phone relays, implementing a 32-bit binary machine. It could perform addition in 150 ms and multiplication in 250 ms. It had a memory with 50 registers and 100 constants. It was later expanded to double the memory...
and BESK
BESK
BESK was Sweden's first electronic computer, using vacuum tubes instead of relays. It was developed by Matematikmaskinnämnden and during a short time it was the fastest computer in the world. The computer was completed in 1953 and in use until 1966...
.
A governmental study into the need for computing machinery in Sweden had been conducted in 1947 by initiative of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences
Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences
The Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences or Kungl. Ingenjörsvetenskapsakademien , founded in 1919 by King Gustaf V, is one of the Royal Academies in Sweden...
and the Naval Procurement Agency. The study recommended the immediate purchase of computing machinery from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and a budget of 2 million SEK
Swedish krona
The krona has been the currency of Sweden since 1873. Both the ISO code "SEK" and currency sign "kr" are in common use; the former precedes or follows the value, the latter usually follows it, but especially in the past, it sometimes preceded the value...
was allocated for the purpose.
The Swedish Board for Computing Machinery was established on November 26, 1948, to handle the purchase. The Academy of Engineering Sciences had initiated some activities already in 1947 by sending five young engineers and scientists to research groups in the United States to study the ongoing activities. Two were sent to John von Neumann
John von Neumann
John von Neumann was a Hungarian-American mathematician and polymath who made major contributions to a vast number of fields, including set theory, functional analysis, quantum mechanics, ergodic theory, geometry, fluid dynamics, economics and game theory, computer science, numerical analysis,...
at Princeton, two to Howard H. Aiken at Harvard, and one to IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
.
When it turned out that it would not be possible for Sweden to get export licences for US-built computers, the activities of MMN quickly changed into constructing rather than importing computing machinery. The relay
Relay
A relay is an electrically operated switch. Many relays use an electromagnet to operate a switching mechanism mechanically, but other operating principles are also used. Relays are used where it is necessary to control a circuit by a low-power signal , or where several circuits must be controlled...
-based BARK, operational in 1950, was built as an interim measure. This was followed by the vacuum tube
Vacuum tube
In electronics, a vacuum tube, electron tube , or thermionic valve , reduced to simply "tube" or "valve" in everyday parlance, is a device that relies on the flow of electric current through a vacuum...
-based BESK, operational in 1954, which for a short time was the fastest computer in the world.
In 1963, MMN was closed down. At that time, the Swedish government felt that there was no need for further computer development by a government agency, as computers were now an industrial product. MMN had never received funds to launch developments of a new generation of transistor
Transistor
A transistor is a semiconductor device used to amplify and switch electronic signals and power. It is composed of a semiconductor material with at least three terminals for connection to an external circuit. A voltage or current applied to one pair of the transistor's terminals changes the current...
-based computers, so when they were closed down, they were no longer in the forefront of computer development. Some years before, FACIT
Facit
Facit was an industrial corporation and manufacturer of office products. It was based in Åtvidaberg, Sweden, and founded in 1922 as AB Åtvidabergs Industrier. Facit AB, a manufacturer of mechanical calculators, was incorporated into the corporation the same year...
had recruited many key employees from MMN to its new division for electronic computers. FACIT EDB was essentially a transistor-based version of BESK.