The Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Calculator (EDSAC) represented a pivotal step in computing history when it successfully operated in May 1949. Designed by Maurice Wilkes, this machine served as the second practical stored-program computer globally. By focusing on proven methods, Wilkes prioritized utility over experimental architecture, establishing a foundation for subsequent decades of digital engineering development.
Academic Foundation and Wartime Research
Born in Dudley, United Kingdom, in 1913, Wilkes attended King Edward VI College, Stourbridge, before enrolling at St John's College, Cambridge, from 1931 to 1934. He completed his PhD in physics at the University of Cambridge in 1936, focusing on ionospheric radio propagation. During World War II, his technical expertise was deployed at the Telecommunications Research Establishment, where he performed operational research and contributed to radar development.
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Appointed director of the University of Cambridge Mathematical Laboratory in 1945, Wilkes recognized the potential of John von Neumann’s descriptions of the EDVAC. After attending the Moore School Lectures in the United States in 1946, he drafted the logical structure for a practical computer during his return voyage. The resulting EDSAC utilized mercury delay-line memory to execute programs, famously facilitating the first computational application in biology through a 1950 collaboration with David Wheeler on gene frequencies.
Microprogramming and Systems Development
In 1951, Wilkes introduced the concept of microprogramming, a method for controlling CPU circuits via a specialized internal program stored in read-only memory. This methodology, implemented in the EDSAC 2, simplified processor architecture. His tenure at Cambridge, spanning 1937 to 1980, also saw the creation of the Titan computer, which supported the United Kingdom’s first time-sharing system. These developments, along with his work on symbolic labels, macros, and subroutine libraries, proved essential for high-level programming.
Professional Contributions and Later Career
Wilkes served as the inaugural president of the British Computer Society from 1957 to 1960. His career extended well beyond academia; he held positions at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Digital Equipment Corporation, and Olivetti. Throughout his life, he received numerous honors, including the Turing Award in 1967, the Faraday Medal in 1981, and the IEEE John von Neumann Medal in 1997. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1956 and was appointed a Knight Bachelor in 2000, continuing his work until his death in 2010.
Fast facts
- Born: 1913, Dudley, United Kingdom
- Died: 2010, Cambridge
- Notable Work: Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Calculator
- Education: St John's College, Cambridge
- Turing Award: 1967
- Knight Bachelor: 2000
- Key Innovation: Microprogramming
- Field: Computer Science
Questions readers ask
What was the significance of the EDSAC?
It was the second practical stored-program computer to become operational, successfully functioning in May 1949.
What is microprogramming?
Invented by Wilkes in 1951, it is a method of using a highly specialized, stored-program logic to operate the control unit of a CPU.
Achievements
- Notable work: Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Calculator
- Affiliated with Digital Equipment Corporation, University of Cambridge and Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Educated at St John's College, King Edward VI College, Stourbridge and University of Cambridge
- Worked as computer scientist, engineer and physicist
