stored see also universal turing machine storedprogram computer a storedprogram computer is a computer that stores program instructions in electronic memory this contrasts with machines where the program instructions are stored on plugboards or similar mechanisms often the definition is extended with the requirement that the treatment of programs and data in memory be interchangeable or uniform description a computer with a von neumann architecture stores program data and instruction data in the same memory a computer with a harvard architecture has separate memories for storing program and data both are storedprogram designs storedprogram computer is sometimes used as a synonym for von neumann architecture history the storedprogram computer idea can be traced back to the 1936 theoretical concept of a universal turing machine many early computers such as the atanasoffberry computer were not reprogrammable they executed a single hardwired program as there were no program instructions no program storage was necessary other computers though programmable stored their programs on punched tape which was physically fed into the machine as needed in 1936 konrad zuse anticipated in two patent applications that machine instructions could be stored in the same storage used for data the university of manchesters baby candidates for the first storedprogram computer several computers could be considered the first storedprogram computer depending on the criteria ibm ssec became operational in january 1948 but was electromechanical arc2 a relay machine developed by andrew booth and kathleen booth at birkbeck university of london officially came online on may 12 1948 manchester baby an experimental computer that successfully ran a stored program on june 21 1948 it was subsequently developed into the manchester mark 1 which ran its first program in early april 1949 electronic delay storage automatic calculator edsac which became fully operational providing a service to a range of customers on may 6 1949 edvac conceived in 1945 but not delivered until august 1949 binac delivered to a customer on august 22 1949 it worked at the factory but there is disagreement about whether or not it worked satisfactorily after being delivered if it had been finished at the projected time it would have been the first storedprogram computer in the world it was the first storedprogram computer in the us etl mark iii which began development in 1954 stored program control 