Atanasoff–Berry_Computer The Atanasoff–Berry Computer (ABC) was the world's first electronic digital computer, but it was not programmable. Conceived in 1937, the machine was designed only to solve systems of linear equations. It was successfully tested in 1942. However, its intermediate result storage mechanism, a paper card writer/reader, was unreliable, and when Atanasoff left Iowa State University for World War II assignments, work on the machine was discontinued.