Object Details
director
von Neumann, John
previous owner
Institute for Advanced Study
maker
von Neumann, John
Institute for Advanced Study
Description
The IAS Computer was named for the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey. The computer was built from 1946 to 1951 at the Institute under the direction of John von Neumann, a mathematics professor at both Princeton University and the Institute for Advanced Study. Funds for the computer came from the Institute, the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, and several military agencies of the U.S. Government. It cost several hundred thousand dollars. The goal of developing the IAS was to make digital computer designs more practical and efficient.
For further information about the computer, see Willis H. Ware. The History and Development of the Electronic Computer Project at the Institute for Advanced Study (1953). This is available online.
Location
Currently not on view
Credit Line
Gift of Princeton University
Date made
1946-1951
ID Number
CI.320250.01
catalog number
320250
accession number
220575
Object Name
computer
mainframe computer
Physical Description
metal (overall material)
plastic (overall material)
Measurements
overall: 118 in x 126 in x 33 in; 299.72 cm x 320.04 cm x 83.82 cm
Place Made
United States: New Jersey, Princeton
See more items in
Medicine and Science: Computers
Military
Computers & Business Machines
Data Source
National Museum of American History
Link to Original Record
Record ID
nmah_334741