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Inception and Purpose:
The Ferranti Atlas was a joint development between the University of Manchester, Ferranti, and Plessey. The first Atlas, installed at Manchester University and officially commissioned in 1962, was one of the world’s first supercomputers. It was considered the most powerful computer globally at that time.
Technical Overview:
Memory: The Atlas used mercury delay lines for memory and derated vacuum tubes for logic.
Cycle Time: Ordinary instructions had a cycle time of 1.5 ms, while multiplication took 6 ms.
Input and Output: Input was via five-hole punched tape, and output was through a teleprinter.
Registers: Initially, the Atlas had an accumulator and a multiplier register. Later, an index register was added.
Main Memory: Initially, it had only 512 18-bit words, but it was later upgraded to 1024 words.
Legacy and Impact:
The Ferranti Atlas significantly advanced science and technology in Britain. Its pioneering work influenced subsequent generations of computers and paved the way for further supercomputing developments.
In summary, the Ferranti Atlas remains a crucial milestone in the evolution of computing technology, showcasing the ingenuity and progress of early computer scientists and engineers.