Atlas Replacement (1966-1971)
Started exploring options in 1966
1968: Atlas: 90% supporting university researchers
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) press hard for a UK replacement
DTI encouraged industrial mergers until the only UK computer company left was ICT later ICL
1967: CDC 7600
Visited CDC, 1967, for pre-launch presentation of CDC 7600 (
20 × Atlas
)
DTI keen to support ICL
ACL propose ICL 1906A - CDC 7600 (
22 × Atlas
)
ICL lukewarm
1968-69: ICL Multi Processor 1908A
DTI supports ICL's new multi-processor 1908A,
7-10 × Atlas per processor
ICL propose a triple-processor ICL 1908A (
30 × Atlas
) expandable to a 4-processor system
Later, ICL propose 1906A-1908A, add a second 1908A later (
22 × Atlas
)
1968: Order ICL 1906A - ICL 1908A (
12 × Atlas
)
New
very large
computer block designed to house 1906A-1908A
1969:
ICL abandon ICL 1908A
leaving ICL 1906A,
2 × Atlas
!
1971: New smaller computer block erected
1972: CDC STAR-100
ACL propose Star-100 vector processor front-ended by the ICL 1906A (
102 × Atlas
)
Benchmarked Star-1 using mainly Quantum chemistry applications
Finally:
July 1971: ICL 1906A delivered
November 1971: Rutherford take delivery IBM 360/195 (
10 × Atlas power
)
ACL finally get 1906A + 20% 360/195 (
3 × Atlas
) to provide a computer service
just to SRC Grant Holders
