BESM (computer)

BESM (Russian БЭСМ ) is the name of a Soviet series of mainframes. It stands for "Быстродействующая Электронно-Счётная Машина" (literal translation: "high-speed electron calculator").

Types

BESM-1 was the first computer system from the series and had 5000 vacuum tubes . Only one BESM-1 was built. When it was finished in 1952, it was initially the fastest computer in Europe. Floating point numbers were encoded as 39-bit words, 32 bits were used for the numerical part, 1 bit for the sign and 1 + 5 bits for the exponent. The read / write memory was a ferrite core memory . The external memory consisted of 4 magnetic tape memories, each capable of storing 30,000 words. In addition, a magnetic drum memory was connected with a capacity of 5120 words and an access rate of 800 words / minute. The computing power was 8-10 KFlops. Without taking the cooling system into account, the tube computer used around 30 kW.

BESM-2 , BESM-3M and BESM-4 also consisted of tubes.

BESM-4a was the first transistor computer in the socialist part of the world.

BESM-6 was a completely newly developed supercomputer system, was developed in 1965 at the Institute for Precision Mechanics and Computer Technology and produced from 1967, also for export. The BESM-6 was used, for example, at the Technical University of Dresden and at Kombinat (VVB) Schiffbau in Rostock. A total of 355 copies were made by 1987.

BESM-6 was the first Soviet computer with an operating system. Fortran -4 was used as the programming language .

BESM's successor was Elbrus .