ICT, 70 years of technological breakthroughs

2025-09-01

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On August 25, 1956, with the approval of Chen Yi, then Vice Premier of the State Council, the Preparatory Committee of the Institute of Computing Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, with Hua Luogeng as the chairman, was established. Thus, China's first national research institution dedicated to computing technology was born.

Chen Yi approved the establishment of the Preparatory Committee of the Institute of Computing Technology on August 25, 1956.

Next year will mark the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the Institute of Computing Technology. Looking back on the history, the people of the Institute of Computing Technology have always been at the forefront of tackling difficulties in the computer industry, fulfilling the historical responsibility of "solving national problems through scientific research and benefiting the people through innovation" with their continuous and unremitting efforts.

China's computer industry started here in hardship. In the 1950s, China's first general-purpose digital electronic computer, the Model 103, was born here. Subsequently, a series of computers such as the Model 104 and the Model 109C came out one after another, providing key computing support for major projects such as the "two bombs and one satellite". Among them, the Model 109C served for 15 years and was known as the "Meritorious Computer". In the 1970s and 1980s, the Model 757 large-scale vector computer developed by the Institute of Computing Technology, the KJ8920 for oil exploration, and the Legend Chinese Card that promoted the Chinese character information processing revolution demonstrated a comprehensive breakthrough from scientific computing to industrial application. In the 1990s, the birth of the Dawning series of high-performance computers marked that China's high-performance computers completely broke the foreign technical monopoly and became the "first ray of dawn" in China's supercomputing cause. In the new century, a series of core chips such as Loongson and Cambricon were successively born here. In addition, China's early computer-aided design technology and system originated here, China's earliest experimental network was born here, and the strength of the organization was gathered to develop China's first audio-video standard AVS with independent intellectual property rights, continuously laying the foundation of China's information technology.

Over the past few decades, in order to adapt to the development of computing technology and the changes in national and industrial needs, the Institute of Computing Technology has successively assisted in the establishment of many research institutions in the information field, founded a number of core enterprises supporting the national information industry, and trained a large number of talents. Therefore, the Institute of Computing Technology is known as the "Cradle of China's Computer Industry".

Today, the people of the Institute of Computing Technology adhere to the "Four Orientations", bravely shoulder the responsibility of seizing the commanding heights of science and technology, and go all out to promote scientific research and technological development in order to achieve the goal of "Four Firsts". In the frontier fields such as computer system architecture, processor chips, artificial intelligence, network technology, and algorithm security, they continuously demonstrate the courage and responsibility of the national strategic scientific and technological force, and constantly inject strong "computing power" into the goal of becoming a world scientific and technological power with innovative achievements.

Looking back on the past, the Institute of Computing Technology has established great feats in China's scientific and technological development. Looking forward to the future, there is still a long way to go. The people of the Institute of Computing Technology will continue to have the fighting spirit of "always feeling concerned and never stopping for a moment" and continue to make new contributions to the development of information technology.

In 2026, the people of the Institute of Computing Technology will welcome the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the Institute of Computing Technology. All colleagues and alumni are welcome to put forward valuable opinions and suggestions for the development of China's computer industry and the Institute of Computing Technology.

Director and Secretary of the Party Committee: Chen Xilin

Institute of Computing Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Excerpts from related articles:

1.Academician Sun Ninghui: Excerpt from "Leading Innovation, Striving to Be the Source – Written on the 60th Anniversary of the Founding of the Institute of Computing Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences"

Striving to Be the Source of the Industry

Establishing enterprises is a characteristic and advantage of the Institute of Computing Technology (ICT), and it is a necessary means to achieve the goal of being the source of innovation. Our contribution to the industry is not about how many large - scale enterprises we have established, but about playing a nurturing and incubating role, that is, the role of the "source" and the "key link". We have six points of experience worth summarizing.

Firstly, establishing joint laboratories with enterprises. The most typical example of the ICT in this regard is the cooperation with Huawei. The main function of this measure is to enable enterprises to get involved in technological research at an early stage.

Secondly, protecting the industry with intellectual property rights. The application of intellectual property rights is to form a protection chain. Researchers should apply for intellectual property rights not for the purpose of winning awards, but to protect the relevant industries. For example, the newly - established Cambricon Technologies Corporation first started with applying for intellectual property rights and then transferred the technology to the industry. The newly - established Intellectual Property Operation and Management Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences is attached to the ICT.

Thirdly, promoting the transformation and upgrading of local economies through branch institutes. This is an important experience of the ICT in serving local areas with technology. Establishing branch institutes in local areas is not for the transfer and transformation of a certain technology, but to promote the transformation and upgrading of local economies by means of informatization.

Fourthly, creating an entrepreneurial environment. This mainly supports employees and students in innovation and entrepreneurship. Similar to the entrepreneurial incubators in Silicon Valley, the ICT spares no effort in building a double - innovation environment, carrying out a series of detailed work such as training, salons, incubators, professional guidance and services, and investment consultations.

Fifthly, accelerating the development of key enterprises. For key enterprises of the ICT, such as Dawning, Loongson, and Cambricon, we promote their development through talents, technology, and management, and regard them as part of our extended ICT.

Sixthly, the ICT investment platform. This is something we have always hoped to achieve but have not yet done. Looking at world - class research institutions, institutions such as Stanford University, the University of Cambridge, and Imperial College London, which have done well in technology transfer, all have their own investment platforms.

If we compare what the ICT has done since its establishment to climbing a mountain, we are already at the halfway point. The road ahead leads to the peak of leading innovation, and only by continuous climbing can we achieve our goal.

2.Academician Li Guojie: Excerpt from "Carrying Forward the Past and Forging Ahead into the Future to Create Greater Glory – Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Founding of the Institute of Computing Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences"

Creating a Brighter Future for the Institute of Computing Technology

Confucius said, "At fifty, one knows the will of heaven." After fifty years of ups and downs, the ICT has basically defined its mission and development direction. The development strategy of the ICT adopted by the staff representative conference in 2002 reflects the understanding of the ICT staff about the global situation, national conditions, and the situation of the institute, as well as their confidence in striving to become a world - class research institute. What will the world be like in another fifty years? As a national research institute, the ICT should consider issues from a higher perspective, that of the country and even all mankind, and think more long - term than ordinary enterprises. Over the past two hundred years, the progress of industrialization has been at the cost of wasting resources and energy, polluting the environment, and widening the gap between the rich and the poor. Will our descendants criticize us in the same way we criticize industrialization today in fifty years? Similar to the development path of traditional industries of "pollution first, treatment later", the information industry has basically been "occupying the market first, and then solving problems such as security, reliability, and usability". The path of the information industry in the 20th century has proved that relying solely on market - driven forces cannot follow the scientific concept of development. Can we avoid the mistakes of the 20th century and make the information industry develop more rationally and in line with the scientific concept of development?

Informatization for the benefit of the public is the main direction of the ICT in the coming quite a long period. We should be confident that in the next few years, every research group engaged in scientific research can afford a desktop high - performance computer; before 2020, more than half of the Chinese people can enjoy the benefits of information networks, making networks and computers everywhere, making our lives better, society more peaceful, and the environment more beautiful; within less than fifty years, a harmonious co - existence environment between computers and humans can be formed. In the outline of the scientific and technological development plan formulated fifty years ago, in the task of "establishing computing technology", it was proposed to use computers for automatic translation. This dream will be realized in our generation.

Our goal is very ambitious, and our task is very arduous. But at present, the ICT is still far from being a world - class research institute. We provide few core technologies to enterprises, our technologies have not been incorporated into international industrial standards, and the number of papers we publish at top international conferences is still very small. The staff of the ICT have dared to do things that others think are impossible since fifty years ago. As long as we identify our goals and work hard, we will surely achieve our goals.

The sky of the ICT is bright, and the land of the ICT is fertile. Let us carry forward the fine tradition of "aiming high and having a down - to - earth manner" and create a more beautiful tomorrow for the ICT.

3.Academician Xia Peisu: Excerpt from "Thirty Years of the Institute of Computing Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences: Recollections of China's First Electronic Computer Research Group"

In 1945, the University of Pennsylvania in the United States successfully developed ENIAC, the world's first electronic computer. After this electronic computer was announced in February 1946, it caused a sensation in the international scientific and technological community. This was not only because ENIAC used more than 18,000 electron tubes and was the largest electronic machine in the world at that time, but more importantly, the successful development of ENIAC showed a brand - new and very promising scientific and technological field to people. In fact, during the development process of ENIAC, scientists had already discovered the deficiencies of ENIAC and some aspects that needed to be improved. Therefore, some scientists represented by John Von Neumann had started to design a new - type electronic computer - the stored - program universal electronic computer before the development of ENIAC was completed. In the mid - and late 1940s, many Chinese scientists and overseas students were working and studying abroad, and some of them were interested in electronic computers. Professor Hua Luogeng, a famous mathematician, was one of them. Hua Luogeng was in the United States at that time and was familiar with John Von Neumann and H. H. Goldstine. They often talked about academic issues together. After Professor Hua Luogeng returned to China in 1950, he established the Institute of Mathematics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1951 and served as the director. In 1952, the Institute of Mathematics moved to a newly - built two - story building inside the south gate of Tsinghua University. In addition to carrying out research in pure mathematics, applied mathematics, mechanics, and theoretical physics, etc., Director Hua Luogeng still had in mind to carry out work on electronic computers.

In the summer of 1952, the national universities were adjusted. While some new universities were established, some old universities were merged, and some institutions were revoked. At that time, the Telecommunication Network Research Laboratory of the Department of Electrical Engineering of Tsinghua University was also among the institutions to be revoked. This Telecommunication Network Research Laboratory was jointly established by Tsinghua University and the Scientific Research Institute of the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications after liberation. The researchers in this laboratory were from the Department of Electrical Engineering of Tsinghua University, and the funds were provided by the Telecommunication Scientific Research Institute of the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications. There were six people in this laboratory in 1952, including three researchers and three assistants. The director of the laboratory was Professor Min Naida from the Department of Electrical Engineering of Tsinghua University. He was an expert in telecommunication networks and returned from Germany after the victory of the Anti - Japanese War. The other two scientific and technological personnel were Wang Chuanying and me. Wang Chuanying was a graduate of the Department of Electrical Engineering of Tsinghua University in 1950 and was Min Naida's assistant at that time. I was an overseas student who returned from the UK in 1951. After the decision to revoke the Telecommunication Network Research Laboratory, I originally planned to stay in the Department of Electrical Engineering of Tsinghua University to teach. However, one day, Min Naida told me that Hua Luogeng wanted to find some people to the Institute of Mathematics to research electronic computers. He and Hua Luogeng knew each other, so Hua Luogeng hoped that he would go to the Institute of Mathematics. Min Naida had quite deep attainments in telecommunication networks and was writing a monograph in this area. He was willing to go to the Institute of Mathematics to continue researching telecommunication networks, but he was quite hesitant about whether to change his career to research electronic computers. I was relatively young at that time. I just obtained a doctoral degree from the University of Edinburgh in the UK in 1950, and I was not completely sure about which aspect of work to engage in in the future. When I was in the UK, I had roughly read some materials on electronic computers and knew that it was a very promising discipline. When I knew that our country would also carry out research work in this area, I was very happy. So, I immediately expressed my willingness to go to the Institute of Mathematics to engage in the work of electronic computers. After careful consideration and with my persuasion, Min Naida also agreed to engage in electronic computer research. But he said that he could only use part of his time to research electronic computers because his plan to write a monograph on telecommunication networks could not be changed. After Wang Chuanying knew this matter, he also expressed his willingness to participate in the work of electronic computers.

After we reached an agreement, Min Naida went to reply to Hua Luogeng and made an appointment to meet him. One evening in the autumn of 1952, the three of us went to his house. His house was also located in the Tsinghua University campus, near the Institute of Mathematics. It was a bungalow specially built for him. When we entered the spacious living room of this house, Director Hua Luogeng warmly received us. After everyone sat down, he talked to us about his intention to carry out research on electronic computers in the Institute of Mathematics, and he also learned about the educational backgrounds and work situations of Wang Chuanying and me. We also expressed to him our willingness to engage in electronic computer research. In this way, after a short conversation, the matter of carrying out electronic computer work was settled. After we returned, we immediately set about collecting and reading materials on electronic computers. Since the funds of the Telecommunication Network Research Laboratory could be maintained until the end of 1952, although our work had been 转向 electronic computers, we did not immediately go to the Institute of Mathematics. On January 3, 1953, the three of us went to work at the Institute of Mathematics.

This was the first three - person group in China to engage in electronic computers, with Min Naida as the leader. Min Naida went to live in Germany in 1958, and Wang Chuanying changed his career when he went to study in the Soviet Union in 1955. Now, I am the only one left in the original three - person group.