Steve Furber facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Steve Furber
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Furber in 2009
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| Born |
Stephen Byram Furber
21 March 1953 Manchester, England
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| Education | Manchester Grammar School |
| Alma mater | University of Cambridge (BA, MMath, PhD) |
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| Spouse(s) |
Valerie Margaret Elliott
(m. 1977) |
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| Thesis | Is the Weis-Fogh principle exploitable in turbomachines? (1979) |
| Doctoral advisor | John Ffowcs Williams |
| Notable students | Simon Segars |
Stephen Byram Furber (born 21 March 1953) is a British computer scientist and engineer. He is known for designing important parts of computers. He is a professor at the University of Manchester.
In the 1980s, he worked at a company called Acorn Computers. There, he helped create the BBC Micro computer. He also played a key role in designing the ARM computer chip. Today, ARM chips are used in billions of devices. These include smartphones, sensors, and even large computer servers.
In 1990, Steve Furber started research in Manchester. He worked on new ways to build computer chips. He also studied how computers can work like the human brain. His SpiNNaker project is building a special computer. It uses a million ARM processors to act like a brain.
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Early Life and Education
Steve Furber went to Manchester Grammar School. In 1970, he won a bronze medal for the UK in a big math competition. This was the International Mathematical Olympiad.
He then studied math at the University of Cambridge. He earned his first degrees there. Later, he got his PhD in 1980. His research was about how fluids move, like in flying insects.
While studying, he also helped a new company called Acorn Computers. He worked on early computer projects. One of these was a first version of what became the BBC Micro. This computer was very important for teaching people about computers in the UK.
Career and Computer Design
In 1981, Steve Furber joined Acorn Computers full-time. He became a main designer. He helped finish the BBC Micro and the Acorn Electron.
His biggest achievement at Acorn was the ARM microprocessor. This small, powerful chip changed how many devices work. It uses less power than other chips. This makes it perfect for mobile phones and other portable gadgets.
In 1990, he moved to the University of Manchester. There, he became a professor of computer engineering. He started a research group to explore new computer designs.
Researching the Brain
Steve Furber's main research now is about neural networks. These are computer systems designed to work like the human brain. He also studies how different parts of a computer chip connect.
His most famous project is SpiNNaker. This project aims to build a computer that acts like a brain. It uses many processors working together. The goal is to understand how the brain works. It also helps design better, more efficient computers.
The SpiNNaker computer is designed to have a million ARM processors. It can model about 1% of the human brain's power. This means it can simulate about a billion brain cells (neurons).
Steve Furber believes that understanding the brain can help us build better computers. And better computers can help us understand the brain even more.
Awards and Recognition
Steve Furber has received many awards for his work. These awards show how important his contributions are to computer science.
- In 2002, he became a Fellow of the Royal Society. This is a very high honor for scientists in the UK.
- In 2005, he became a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering.
- In 2007, he received the Faraday Medal. This award is for great achievements in engineering.
- In 2008, he was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) by the Queen.
- In 2010, he won the Millennium Technology Prize. This is one of the world's biggest technology awards. He won it for his work on the ARM processor.
- In 2012, he was honored by the Computer History Museum.
- In 2014, he became a Distinguished Fellow at the British Computer Society.
- In 2022, he received the Charles Stark Draper Prize. This is a major engineering award from the United States. He shared it with other inventors of RISC computer chips.
A school in Manchester, Unsworth Academy, named one of its houses after him. A building at Radbroke Hall was also named in his honor by Barclays Bank.
Steve Furber was even played by an actor in a TV show. The show was called Micro Men and was about the early days of British computing.
Personal Life
Steve Furber is married to Valerie Elliot. They have two daughters and three grandchildren. In his free time, he enjoys playing the bass guitar.
