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UNIVAC LARC (1960)

Manufacturer: Sperry Univac		 Image of LARC from BRL Report

Special solid state computer built by UNIVAC as a division of Sperry Rand for Livermore - one of the most advanced computers of its time, featuring many system components that influence modern computer design. Because of cost blowouts in the project, the Navy agreed to purchase a second one for the David Taylor Model Basin. Pres Eckert was substantially involved in its design.The contract UNIVAC won with the AEC was over IBM, who got instead the Los Alamos project for STRETCH - there was considerable rivalry between the STRETCH and LARC projects

References:

  • Weik, Martin H. (1961) Weik, Martin H. "A Third Survey of Domestic Electronic Digital Computing Systems" Rpt 1115, BRL, Maryland, 1961  E A Online copy at Computer History Museum Extract: LARC details
  • Lundstrom (1987) Lundstrom, David E. "A few good men from Univac" 1987 MIT Press Cambridge, MA, USA  E A Extract: Eckert and LARC Extract: LARC problems Extract: LARC/STRETCH rivalry
  • Gray and Smith (1998) Gray, George and Smith, Ron "Sperry Rand's Transistor Computers"  E A Abstract DOI Extract: Cost and the second LARC Extract: Origins of LARC
          in [AHC] (1998) IEEE Annals of the History of Computing, 20(3) July-September 1998  E

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