"Computers installed in the UK during the 1960s" - shape of code blog

August 19, 2026, 9:02am 1

Don’t you love a graph with a logarithmic axis? Here’s one showing the installed life of each generation, with a couple of exponential fits:

Between 1958 and 1970 (end of the data) the annual growth rate of new computers was 34%. After the first year, installations decline at a rate of around 16% per year (presumably replaced by a more powerful system).

Also

The table below shows the six computer models, out of 48, that represented 60% of all computers installed. The monthly rentals are an estimated average, and inflation adjusted 2026 pounds sterling. Possible memory capacities varied between 4k to 64k (yes, thousands of bytes). Readers will be familiar with the IBM 360, the ICL 1900 series was the UK’s home-grown response (via Canada):

        Computer    Installed    Percent   Monthly rental
       IBM 360/30     305          17          £42k
       ICL 1901       253          14          £21k
       IBM 360/20     147           8          £17k
       ICL 1902       138           8          £37k
       IBM 360/40     127           7          £84k
       ICL 1903       101           6          £45k

Here’s the article

See also
The Birth of the British Computer Industry
1961, Number of Computers Per Million Persons(*)

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I guess, this is ok for the sound/noise volume emitted by the respective total of computer installations?