An imposing move of historic computers, the very first supercomputers in Switzerland, has taken place at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL). Chance of the calendar, it was at the same time as the International Championship of Mathematical and Logic Games.
As tall as a cupboard and heavy as an elephant, two Cray supercomputers that hadn’t been used for years were moved from one EPFL building to another. These two machines now take pride of place in the exhibition at the Bolo Museum, the Swiss museum of IT, digital culture and video games.
Particularity, these computers weigh… several tons. Friday in Ecublens, the move therefore required substantial lifting means and a lot of delicacy so as not to damage this heritage from the 1980s. The volunteers will now have to renovate them so that the public can admire them. Will these supercomputers be put back into operation?
It is therefore a computer mouse invented in the canton of Vaud which allowed the construction of these supercomputers by the American brand Cray. 40 years ago, the “Cray-1S” operated at EPFL and the “X-MP/48” at CERN in Geneva. What was the use of these large computers weighing several tons, 20 times slower to perform calculations than current smartphones?
Mental calculations VS numerical calculations
At the same time as the removal of these historical pieces, 400 participants gathered at EPFL for the finale International Championship of Mathematical and Logic Games. Nowadays, computing makes it possible to solve complex calculations with high-powered computers. So why should we care regarding math?
These very first supercomputers in Switzerland, the fastest in the world at the time, are the ancestors of our microcomputers. If today their value is historic, these machines cost a fortune. Even second-hand, EPFL bought its first “Cray-1S” in 1985 for 13 million francs. For the price, the inventor of these machines, the American engineer Seymour Cray, had taken care of their aesthetics.
At least 25,000 francs will be needed to restore the two supercomputers. The Bolo Museum is therefore launching a call to crowdfunding. In financial difficulty two years ago, the museum hosted by EPFL had already asked for donors to save its collections of computers and video games.
