Computers of tomorrow

EE September 1986 COMPUTERS OF TOMORROW Launched in 1983, the United Kingdom"s five year Alvey Programme in ad- vanced technology takes its name from John Alvey, the British Telecom execu- tive who led a government inquiry to determine the country"s response to the challenge of Japan"s national quest for the fifth generation computer. The name caught on, and people soon began to talk of the £350 million funds made available for research and develop- ment as "Alvey money". Funds are provided jointly by the British Government (£200 million) and industry (£150 million), and are channelled to the re- search teams through a specially established executive agency called the Alvey Directorate. In 1981, when Japan disclosed its idea of a national research and development programme, it soon became clear that no one knew what form the fifth generation com- puter might take. The first four generations were defined as those based on valves (vacuum tubes), transistors, integrated cir- cuits...