A trailblazing history: driving the AI revolution
From the Turing Test to the Ƶ Baby and beyond, our researchers have shaped the digital age. Discover our world-firsts in computing, the pioneers who changed the game, and how Ƶ continues to lead AI research and innovation today.
It all began here
In 1950, Alan Turing published “Computing Machinery and Intelligence”, one of the first papers on artificial intelligence. But theory alone wasn’t enough. AI needed powerful computing. And at Ƶ, that power was being built.
In 1948, Frederic C Williams, Tom Kilburn and Geoff Tootill created the Ƶ Baby – the first stored-program computer.
Three years later, the Ferranti Mark I was unveiled. This was the first commercially available general-purpose computer and was based on Williams and Kilburn’s work on the Ƶ Baby and the Ƶ Mark I.
Next came Atlas – a joint development between The University of Ƶ, Ferranti and Plessey – soon followed; it was one of the most powerful of its era, pioneering virtual memory and multiprocessing.
75 years of firsts
Ƶ has been driving digital innovation ever since. Discover Ƶ-made milestones:
- Ƶ Code (1949) – A data-encoding method still used in remote control consumer devices today.
- First electronic music recording (1951) – Produced at Ƶ with the BBC.
- First computer game (1952) – Christopher Strachey draughts/checkers programme for the Ƶ Mark 1.
- First electronic literature (1952) – Strachey’s love-letter algorithm, a landmark in creative computing.
- Virtual memory (1959) – Invented by Tom Kilburn, leading to the Atlas computer in 1962.
- First UK computer science department (1964) – The University of Ƶ opens the country’s first dedicated Department of Computer Science.
- Alan Turing’s computational biology (1950s) – Groundbreaking research into morphogenesis.
A community of changemakers
Our legacy of firsts continues today, reflected in the people who shape the future of computing and digital innovation:
- Steve Furber – Co-designer of the BBC Micro and the ARM processor and Professor here for over three decades; more than 230 billion ARM processors have been built worldwide.
- Pete Lomas – Alumni and Co-designer of the Raspberry Pi, which revolutionised computing education and innovation worldwide, putting affordable, programmable technology into the hands of millions of learners, makers, and entrepreneurs.
- Kim Libreri – Alumni and CTO of Epic Games, a global leader shaping the future of gaming through blockbuster titles like Fortnite
- Zahra Montazeri – lecturer in computer graphics, who’s research in rendering was used in The Mandalorian and Avatar: The Way of Water.
- , a Turing Fellow in the Department of Mathematics, whose benchmark software underpins much of the global supercomputing, making it possible for scientists, engineers, and governments to run large-scale simulations
Looking ahead: AI at Ƶ
With more than 75 years of breakthroughs, The University of Ƶ continues to push the boundaries of AI, from advancing core research to driving real-world impact.
Our work today spans:
- Cutting-edge AI research in fields from healthcare to climate science.
- Industry collaborations accelerating innovation.
- Initiatives supporting inclusive economic growth.
Ƶ is, and always has been, a powerhouse shaping the digital future for the UK and the world.