REPORT RECEIVED ON SOVIET PRODUCTION OF ELECTRONIC PUNCH CARD COMPUTERS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79T01003A001400150001-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 7
• Document Creation Date: December 12, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 8, 2002
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: December 13, 1962
• Content Type: BRIEF

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Current Support Brief
CIA/RR CB 6 2 - 8 5
REPORT RECEIVED ON SOVIET PRODUCTION
OF ELECTRONIC PUNCH CARD COMPUTERS
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
Office of Research and Reports
SECRET
No. Pages 3
13 December 1962
GROUP 1
Excluded from automatic
downgrading and
declassification
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This material contains information affecting
the National Defense of the United States
within the meaning of the espionage laws,
Title 18, USC, Secs. 793 and 794, the trans-
mission or revelation of which in any manner
to an unauthorized person is prohibited by law.
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S-E-C-R-E-T
REPORT RECEIVED ON SOVIET PRODUCTION
OF ELECTRONIC PUNCH CARD COMPUTERS
The volume of production of electronic punch card computers for
industrial use in the USSR was indicated recently by a Soviet press
article which stated that the 100th computer was produced by the Vil'nyus
Computing Machine Plant. I/ This plant is the major Soviet enterprise
producing electronic punch card computers. The very low level of pro-
duction of punch card computing machinery -- similar to that which has
been produced in the US for at least 10 years -- has severely limited
the processing of statistical data at Soviet industrial enterprises and
thus has hindered planning.
The Vil'nyus Computing Machine Plant has been constructed largely
during the Seven Year Plan (1959-65). The plant produced its first series
of electronic punch card machines, the PR 80, during 1960. Series pro-
duction of a later development, the EV 80-3, was started in the last half
of 1961, and a third machine developed during 1962 is to be placed in
series production soon. Little has been published about the character-
istics of Soviet punch card computers. The EV 80-3, however, has been
compared to an IBM 604 electronic calculator, which is a general-purpose,
vacuum tube, punch card digital computer that has been manufactured in
the US since 1953. About 3, 000 IBM 604 machines had been produced by
early 1961. 2/ Production of 100 computers at the Vil'nyus plant during
the 2 years while the plant was undergoing construction and organization
indicates a probable annual capacity in excess of 200 punch card com-
puters.
;Soviet punch card computing machines have been installed primarily
in computing centers at Soviet industrial installations but also have been
exported to other countries of the Soviet Bloc. Only a few of the actual
Soviet installations of such equipment have been mentioned in the Soviet
press. For example, it was reported that PR 80 machines were installed
at the Rostov Agricultural Machinery Plant and that EV 80-3 machines
13 December 1962 CIA/RR CB 62-85
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were installed at the Lugansk October Revolution Plant. The low volume
of output and the number of punch card computers that have been exported
to East Germany, Rumania, and Poland has limited the number of com-
puting installations in the USSR which can be equipped with these machines.
Furthermore, it has been reported that the Vil'nyus plant would export at
least 50 punch card computers during the current season (presumably
1962). 3/ The relatively large volume of exports in spite of the apparent
need in the Soviet economy for such equipment possibly can be explained
by the fact that existing computing centers in the USSR are operating below
their planned capacity because trained programers and machine operators
are not available and because potential users of computing centers have
not been made aware of how their enterprises can use available data pro-
cessing equipment.
If the Vil'nyus Computing Machine Plant succeeds in increasing its
output of punch card computers, therefore, the optimum use of such equip-
ment in Soviet industry will still, be dependent on the training of customers
and capable operating personnel. Moreover, the use of punch card equip-
ment as a preliminary step to the automatic processing of all-union economic
data will not be widespread before 1965.
13 December 1962 CIA/RR CB 62-85
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