Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: Official website of the State –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
On December 4, we celebrate Computer Science Day—a professional holiday dedicated to the date that laid the foundation for Russian computer science: in 1948, the first patent for a digital electronic computer was registered in the USSR.
From a radio tube to a smartphone
The idea for the holiday arose in 1998, when Computer Weekly magazine proposed celebrating December 4th as Russian Informatics Day in honor of an event that occurred half a century earlier. Few knew then that it was on this day in 1948 that Soviet scientists Academician Isaak Bruk and engineer Bashir Rameyev received Inventor's Certificate No. 10475 for a digital electronic computer. Their patent, which marked the beginning of the era of Russian computer science, can, without exaggeration, be called a feat of engineering. After all, in just three months of work, Isaak Semenovich and Bashir Iskanderovich created the "Automatic Digital Electronic Computer" project, despite a near-total lack of access to foreign technology, a shortage of vacuum tubes, and an unstable power supply. The device's "thinking" was based on binary logic and hardware-based software control, and vacuum tubes were used in its assembly. Although the first working model was launched only three years later, it was in 1948 that the architectural foundation for future computers was laid.
Of particular significance was the fact that the Soviet machine was designed to store programs in memory—an ergonomic solution that underlies all modern gadgets and devices, from smartphones to supercomputers.
From information to informatics
Unlike the American ENIAC, where programming was determined by cable connections, the Bruk-Rameyev machine was more flexible. And during its first run, it generated so much heat that scientists had to remove part of the roof to prevent a fire. But it was this "vacuum-tube behemoth," occupying 15 square meters, that became the prototype of an entire era. This idea gave rise to the original Soviet computers: the legendary Moscow M-1 and Kiev MESM, as well as the Strela, one of the first mass-produced computers for scientific and defense calculations. They were used in satellite launches, nuclear projects, weather forecasting, and economic planning. And although Western computing technology was already rapidly developing worldwide, Soviet machines were equal to them, and in some tasks, they were superior thanks to optimized algorithms and architecture.
Incidentally, the term "computer science" only appeared in the USSR in 1962, on the initiative of Academician Alexander Kharkevich, director of the Institute for Information Transmission Problems (IITP RAS). But it was the 1948 patent that cemented the country's priority in the development of digital systems and gave impetus to the creation of specialized laboratories, design bureaus, and educational programs.
Today, Computer Science Day is more than just a professional holiday. It commemorates the fact that technology is born from ideas, and ideas from faith in the future. On this day, universities, schools, and technology parks host lectures, exhibitions, and hackathons to remind the new generation that behind every byte is history, behind every algorithm, talent and hard work.
From theory to practice
The State University of Management, which develops digital leaders for the new Russia, pays special attention to this legacy. The university houses departments and programs directly related to information technology and digital transformation, training specialists capable of designing and implementing IT solutions in the public and corporate sectors. Students master big data analysis, digital architecture, IT project management, and cybersecurity, as well as mathematical modeling, software development principles, the application of artificial intelligence in management, business management in the digital economy, working with platforms, and the specifics of digital policymaking.
Regarding applied research in the field of IT and AI, a pilot implementation of the major scientific project "Ensuring the country's food security through the creation of hardware and software systems and intelligent platform digital solutions for the development of full-lifecycle agro-industrial technologies" will begin in 2026. Our researchers refer to this project as the "digital village."
The agricultural platform, which the First Management Institute is developing jointly with the Omsk Agricultural Research Center and Udmurt State University, is conceived as a "super-system" that simplifies the work of small and medium-sized agricultural enterprises. It will set tasks for FMS systems, reduce decision-making costs, and increase the sustainability of participants through collaborative mechanisms. "It shouldn't be the case that a farmer repeatedly enters data into different systems, essentially 'manually, from a notebook,'" emphasizes Dmitry Rybakov, project coordinator and researcher at the Center for Engineering Project Management at Udmurt State University, noting that data transfer to Federal State Information Systems (FSIS) (Zerno, Saturn, Unified Financial Information System of the ZSN, etc.) will be automated as much as possible.
The system consists of three levels: infrastructure (drones, navigation, data collection), management (analytics, business processes, smart contracts), and cooperation—inter-industry and even international. The platform's economy will be built on a subscription model, with costs distributed among agricultural enterprises, processors, logistics, insurers, banks, and, possibly, the government.
Thus, our university community is directly involved in shaping the image of the future Russian agro-industrial complex, and, in the future, the agro-industrial complex of friendly countries of the EAEU and BRICS.
Subscribe to the "Our GUU" Telegram channel. Publication date: December 4, 2025.
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.