ACM Turing Award Goes to Creator of First Modern Personal Computer

Thacker, Founding Member of Three Major Research Labs, Linked to Tablet PC and Other Major Innovations in Computing - Past and Present

NEW YORK, March 9, 2010 - ACM, the Association for Computing Machinery today named Charles P.
Thacker the winner of the 2009 ACM A.M. Turing Award for his pioneering
design and realization of the Alto, the first modern personal computer, and
the prototype for networked personal computers. Thacker's design, which he
built while at Xerox PARC (Palo Alto Research Center), reflected a new vision
of a self-sufficient, networked computer on every desk, equipped with
innovations that are standard in today's models. Thacker was also cited for
his contributions to the Ethernet local area network, which enables multiple
computers to communicate and share resources, as well as the first
multiprocessor workstation, and the prototype for today's most used tablet
PC, with its capabilities for direct user interaction. The Turing Award,
widely considered the "Nobel Prize in Computing", is named for the British
mathematician Alan M. Turing. The award carries a US$250,000 prize, with
financial support provided by Intel Corporation and Google Inc.

"Charles Thacker's contributions have earned him a reputation as one of
the most distinguished computer systems engineers in the history of the
field," said ACM President Professor Dame Wendy Hall. "His enduring
achievements — from his initial innovations on the PC to his leadership in
hardware development of the multiprocessor workstation to his role in
developing the tablet PC — have profoundly affected the course of modern
computing."

Andrew Chien, Vice President of Intel Labs and Director of Future
Technologies Research at Intel Corporation said, "Charles Thacker's design of
the Alto computer embodied the key elements of today's personal computers,
and is at the root one of the world's most innovative industries that
empowers individuals around the world. We applaud Chuck's clarity of insight,
focus on simplicity, and his incredible track-record of designing landmark
systems that have accelerated the progress of both research and industry for
decades."

"Google is pleased to join in honoring Charles Thacker
for his far-reaching role in the birth of one of the most important
technologies in the 20th century," said Alfred Spector, Vice President of
Research and Special Initiatives at Google Inc. "His contributions made
possible the style of computing that we enjoy today, and we are proud to be a
sponsor of the ACM Turing Award to encourage continued research in computer
science, and the related technologies that depend on its continued
advancement."

Influencing the Course of Computer History

Thacker created and collaborated on what would become the fundamental
building blocks of the PC business. The Alto computer, developed in 1974,
incorporated bitmap (TV-like) displays which enable modern graphical user
interfaces (GUIs), including What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG) editors.
These components have dominated computing during the last two decades.
Thacker was the co-inventor of the Ethernet local area network, introduced in
1973, the "interconnection fabric" that allows multiple digital devices such
as workstations, printers, scanners, file servers, and modems to communicate
with each other. Today's Ethernets, which are thousands of times faster than
the original version, have become the dominant local area networking
technology.

At Digital Equipment Corporation's System Research Center, Thacker
designed the Firefly multiprocessor workstation, an innovation that has new
relevance in the current multi-core world. These systems are widely used
across many domains for their ability to improve productivity and create
performance advantages, with applications for embedded architecture, network
systems, digital signal processing, graphics, and special effects.

Thacker went on to Microsoft Research in 1997 to help establish its
Microsoft Research Cambridge laboratory, where he also oversaw the design of
the first prototypes on which most of today's tablet PCs are based. Described
as the most significant recent advance in the PC hardware platform, they
enable faster, more powerful operations and they offer fundamentally new
capabilities for direct interaction with users that are fast becoming part of
the mainstream of computing. After joining the Tablet PC team to help
shepherd the product to market, he returned to Microsoft Research in 2005,
and is currently engaged in computer architecture research at Microsoft's
Silicon Valley campus.

Background

Thacker has published extensively and holds 29 patents in computer
systems and networking. He is a Distinguished Alumnus of the Computer Science
Department of the University of California Berkeley, where he earned a B.S.
in physics. He holds an honorary doctorate from the Swiss Federal Institute
of Technology (ETH) and is a Fellow of ACM and the Computer History Museum.
He is also a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the U.S.
National Academy of Engineering.

For the development of Alto, Thacker (with Butler Lampson and Robert
Taylor) received the 1984 ACM Software System Award. In 2004, (with Lampson,
Taylor, and Alan Kay) he was awarded the Charles Stark Draper prize for the
development of the first networked personal computers. In 2007, he was the
recipient of IEEE's John von Neumann medal.

ACM will present the 2009 A.M. Turing Award at its Awards Banquet on June
26, in San Francisco, CA.

About the ACM A.M. Turing Award

The A.M. Turing Award was named for Alan M. Turing, the British
mathematician who articulated the mathematical foundation and limits of
computing, and who was a key contributor to the Allied cryptanalysis of the
German Enigma cipher during World War II. Since its inception in 1966, the
Turing Award has honored the computer scientists and engineers who created
the systems and underlying theoretical foundations that have propelled the
information technology industry. Go to www.acm.org/awards/taward.html
for information.

About ACM

ACM, the Association for Computing Machinery www.acm.org, is the
world's largest educational and scientific computing society, uniting
computing educators, researchers and professionals to inspire dialogue, share
resources and address the field's challenges. ACM strengthens the computing
profession's collective voice through strong leadership, promotion of the
highest standards, and recognition of technical excellence. ACM supports the
professional growth of its members by providing opportunities for life-long
learning, career development, and professional networking.

Virginia Gold of the Association for Computing Machinery, +1-212-626-0505, vgold at acm.org