Museum of Computing Machinery

The National Institute for Applications of Computing was among the first institutions in Italy to acquire an electronic computer. In 1954, while Olivetti and the University of Pisa were developing their own machines, the institute purchased a Ferranti Mark I from the United Kingdom. This computer became known as FINAC. In 1962 Olivetti began collaborating with the institute to build a new computer: the Calcolatore dell’Istituto Nazionale per le Applicazioni del Calcolo, or CINAC, also known as the Elea 9104, which you can see in front of you. The machine was designed by the Sottsass studio and reflects Olivetti’s distinctive aesthetic: branded teleprinters, the characteristic turquoise color, and central units arranged around columns with arms set at 120-degree angles. CINAC is a unique machine, built specifically for research and never produced industrially. From a technical standpoint, it is notable for its stack-based architecture, which made it particularly efficient for running compiler and interpreter programs, including a LISP language interpreter implemented in 1967. When CINAC replaced FINAC in 1966, it was unthinkable to abandon the existing software. For this reason, a simulator of the FINAC computer was built. You can see it above the desk, together with its console equipped with lever switches. CINAC was officially decommissioned on June 30, 1970.