Yerevan Automated Control Systems Scientific Research Institute (YerACSSRI) is the pioneer of IT Industry in Armenia.
The computer systems design in Armenia has started to make real progress in the late 50s of the 20th century. In 1956 by the initiative of Academy of Sciences of Armenian SSR, and by the decision of the union government the Yerevan Scientific Research Institute of Mathematical Machines (YerSRIMM) was founded. A young scientist and academician named Sergey Mergelyan has played an important role in establishing the institute, and has become YerSRIMM’s first director. Even today, the institute is popularly known as "Mergelyan Institute", and has become synonymous to YerSRIMM. The following prominent scientists have contributed to the establishment of the institute, and to the development of IT and Software Industry in Armenia:
Artashes Shahinyan, Andranic Iosifyan, Fadel Sargsyan. The institute employees include prominent academicians, scientists and engineers.
In 1960, the first time ever in the USSR, a semiconductor-based computer named "HRASDAN" was developed and presented to the government commission. Subsequently the computer was enhanced, and its new version dubbed "HRASDAN-2" has begun to be widely used in scientific research community and in manufacturing. In 1965 the next generation of these computers, named "HRASDAN 3", was released. Later, on this platform, a new computer system was developed named "Marshrut-1", which was designed for railroad ticket sales automation system. For a long period of time this system was in use at some railroad station ticket sales terminals in Moscow. A group of scientists who has worked on the development of the "Marshrut-1" system was presented with the prestigious Government Award of the former USSR. In the 1960s, the efforts to develop a new family of minicomputers named "Nairi" have started at YerSRIMM. From 1960s to 1970s various models from this family of computers have been developed ("Nairi-1", "Nairi-2", "Nairi-3", "Nairi-3.1", "Nairi-3.2", "Nairi-3.3", "Nairi-4, "Nairi-4.1"), designed to solve the wide range of problems in the various fields of science, technology and economics. The main feature of the "Nairi" family of computers was the user-friendly interface, which allowed system interaction based on the language close to the mathematical notations.
In 1980s, the further development of this family of computers has resulted in creation of "Nairi-4B", "Nairi-4B C" and "KOBER" multi-computer and multiprocessor systems, which were compatible on the software level with the well-known DEC PDP (PDP-11/40, PDP-11/44) computer series. For creation of "Nairi" family of computers, the institute was presented with the prestigious Government Award of the former USSR.
For many years YerSRIMM was involved in research aimed at developing experimental designs of the magnetic data storage devices based on cone-shaped surface domain magnetic tapes. For this work the institute was presented with the Government Award of the Armenian SSR.
One of the main directions of YerSRIMM’s research activity was the development of series of minicomputers, such as EC-1030, EC-1045 and EC-1046, and creation of the multi-computer and multiprocessor-based systems on their platform. These minicomputers were compatible on the hardware architectural and software levels with the well-known IBM-360 and IBM-370 mainframe series by IBM. In 70s and 80s, these computers and systems have become widely used in various industries encompassing economy, science and manufacturing, and are currently deployed at numerous companies throughout the former USSR. To mention only EC-1045 and EC-1046, more than 5000 units of these models have been manufactured.
For these efforts the institute employees were presented with the Government awards of USSR and Armenian SSR, and the project managers were presented with Lenin Award.
In 70s, the focus on the design and development of hardware and software for the ACS-s has set a new course of development for the institute, and became an important milestone of its history. The new activities included the development of High-reliability Real-time Computing Systems (such as "SVK", "Sevan"), Real-time Operating Systems, the development of ACS application algorithms, and applied software packages. For the efforts in question, the institute was presented with the Labor Red Banner Medal, and the project author groups were presented with HLKEM award, and Government Awards of the former USSR and Armenian SSR; many employees were awarded honors and medals of former USSR.
Before the collapse of the USSR, YerSRIMM was one of the leading scientific research institutes specializing in the development of computer hardware and ASC-s. In 1992 the Yerevan Automated Control Systems Scientific Research Institute (YerACSSRI) was formed on the platform comprised of the YerSRIMM’s departments involved in the development of Wide Area ACS-s, and Special Purpose Computing Systems.
YerACSSRI is specializing, and has significant experience in the development of Multi-object Wide Area Automated Control System software to be used in various industries. Our team of experts is involved in the development of high-reliability efficient special purpose computer hardware and systems, and their Operating Systems; in the development of custom protocol-based software packages for data exchange in the Wide Area Network environment; in the development of various goal-functions implementation software.
Starting from late 80s, our team of experts has been developing, and continues to do so, large-scale applied software application packages, as well as complete software solutions that can be deployed on the latest hardware platforms, and under the latest Operating Systems, and are backed by the latest database systems.
At present, YerACSSRI is focused on the development of large-scale Special Purpose Automated Control Systems, which includes the development of various software packages: custom device drivers, data exchange software packages, and the development of complete software solutions for Windows and Linux Operating Systems, using Visual C++ IDE, and C++ programming language.
All the projects in question, implemented by YerSRIMM’s teams, as well as by the YerACSSRI’s teams, after its establishment, were, and currently still are, under the supervision of the academician Prof. Robert Atoyan, who is a current member of the National Academy of Sciences of Republic of Armenia, and is the present director of YerACSSRI.