CSIRAC
One of the world's first stored program digital computers and the first computer to play music.
CSIRAC was the first stored program digital computer invented in Australia. The first an Australian University and the first in Victoria
and New South Wales. In Victoria it provided a computing service to scientists, engineers and the Melbourne business community until
1964.
CSIRAC still exists intact and is on display at Museum Victoria: CSIRAC, making it the oldest surviving electronic computer in the world.
An excellent book about CSIRAC is Last Of The First, by Doug McCann and Peter Thorne. This book provides a comprehensive overview of CSIRAC, published by the University of Melbourne, and available free as a PDF (4.9 MB).
Musica ex Machina: Machines Thinking Musically is an exhibition at EPFL Pavilions in Lausanne, Switzerland, that explores the intersections of algorithmic and computational thinking in music. The exhibition highlights the evolution of these concepts from historical to contemporary contexts, showcasing how technological advances have expanded musical possibilities. A significant part of the exhibition is dedicated to CSIRAC, the first computer to play music, featuring its pioneering role in the history of computer music. CSIRAC's contributions are illustrated through historical documentation and audiovisual installations. More details about the exhibition and its themes can be found here . Details about the associated symposium are here
In 1955, the first digital computer arrived in Australia in Melbourne, called CSIRAC. It is the world's oldest surviving first-generation
electronic computer and the first computer to produce digital music.
Our guest was the former Head of the Dept of Computer Science at the Uni of Melbourne and explains how CSIRAC led to the rapid adoption of
computing at the university and fostered the discipline.
Guest: Dr Peter Thorne, former Head of the Department of Computer Science, University of Melbourne, Chair, Heritage
Committee, The Pearcey Foundation.
Broadcast 3 Sep 2023
In historical terms, CSIR Mk1/CSIRAC was one of the first stored program, electronic, computers.
Prior to 1948 various electromechanical machines (non-electronic computers) were built in USA and Germany. Early electronic, but not
stored program machines, were ENIAC (USA) and numerous Colossuses (Colossi?) at Bletchley Park (UK).
On June 14, 1956 the computer CSIRAC was officially recommissioned at the new Computation Laboratory at the University of Melbourne.
Celebrating the 70th Anniversary of CSIRAC: Australia's first stored program digital computer and the world's fourth. Presentations by eminent speakers honour Dr Trevor Pearcey's legacy and catch a glimpse of what the future holds for Australian innovation, entrepreneurship, and technology in society.
