The donation was made by Mike Muller, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and one of the founders of Cambridge-headquartered technology leader, Arm.
"This incredible donation is transformative for us. Our vast collection now has a permanent home, providing long term security for the collection. It allows us to concentrate our efforts on developing what we can offer to visitors and students, such as our increasingly popular education programme,” said Jason Fitzpatrick, CEO, The Centre for Computing History.
"There is a fantastic team of staff and volunteers who make the museum something unique. We do it because we believe in it and we are deeply grateful to Mike for recognising our efforts and believing in the project along with us,” added Jason.
"I have been involved in the Centre for Computing History for years, and am consistently impressed by how imaginative and ambitious the team is in their mission is to tell the story of one of the world’s most important inventions - the computer,” explained Muller. "I hope this investment will help the museum to continue on its trajectory and urge others in the industry to support it – the preservation of this history plays a key role in inspiring the next generation of tech talent.”
Through interactive displays and exhibitions, a schools programme, learning events and workshops and its vast collection, the centre looks to help people to understand how tech has shaped the modern world and revolutionised the way we live, work and play. In the last year the museum has had over 3,000 students visit and interact with the collection through computing history tours and microprocessor demonstrations using the record-breaking ‘MegaProcessor’.
CCH recently received accredited museum status from Arts Council England and was awarded a National Lottery Heritage Fund grant to preserve items and documentation relating to the story of the LEO computer.