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Cambridge University Computer Laboratory

Computer Laboratory
University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory.jpg
The Computer Laboratory has been housed in the William Gates Building in West Cambridge since August 2001.
Former names
Mathematical Laboratory
Established 14 May 1937 (14 May 1937)
Head of Department Andy Hopper
Academic staff
35
Administrative staff
25
Postgraduates 155
Location William Gates Building, Cambridge, United Kingdom
52°12′39″N 0°05′31″E / 52.210925°N 0.092022°E / 52.210925; 0.092022 (University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory)Coordinates: 52°12′39″N 0°05′31″E / 52.210925°N 0.092022°E / 52.210925; 0.092022 (University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory)

The Computer Laboratory is the computer science department of the University of Cambridge. As of 2007, it employs 35 academic staff, 25 support staff, 35 affiliated research staff, and about 155 research students. The current head of department is Professor Andy Hopper.

The Cambridge University Computer Laboratory was founded as the Mathematical Laboratory under the leadership of John Lennard-Jones on 14 May 1937, though it did not get properly established until after World War II. The new laboratory was housed in the North Wing of the former Anatomy School, on the New Museums Site. Upon its foundation, it was intended to provide a computing service for general use, and to be a centre for the development of computational techniques in the University. The Cambridge Diploma in Computer Science was the world’s first postgraduate taught course in computing, starting in 1953.

In October 1946, work began under Maurice Wilkes on EDSAC (Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Calculator), which subsequently became the world’s first fully operational and practical stored program computer when it ran its first program on 6 May 1949. It inspired the world’s first business computer, LEO. It was replaced by EDSAC 2, the first microcoded and bitsliced computer, in 1958.

In 1961, David Hartley developed , one of the first high-level programming languages, for EDSAC 2. Also in that year, proposals for Titan, based on the Ferranti Atlas machine, were developed. Titan became fully operational in 1964 and EDSAC 2 was retired the following year. In 1967, a full (‘24/7’) multi-user time-shared service for up to 64 users was inaugurated on Titan.


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