Computing · 1937
Switching circuit theory
Shannon shows that relay circuits can do Boolean algebra.
Claude Shannon's MIT master's thesis mapped Boolean logic onto networks of relays and switches. It turned circuit design from craft into mathematics and is the basis of every digital logic chip.
What it built on 2
Related measurements
The dashed line marks when it first worked.
Computation per constant dollar, 1850-2006 Latest: 7.3B million units of computer power per 2006 $ (2003) Source: Nordhaus 2007, Two Centuries of Productivity Growth in Computing, J. Econ. Hist. 67(1), Table 6
Fastest computer in the world Latest: 2.2×10¹⁸ operations per second (2026) Source: Wikipedia: List of fastest computers; Wikipedia: History of supercomputing