Two of the three remaining Q1 computers were unexpectedly discovered after being last used by an oil drilling company in the early 1970s.
Employees from the British clearing company Just Clear found these two Q1 computers buried in multiple boxes while cleaning out a property, according to Just Clear founder Brendan O’Shea.
These two Q1 computers are widely regarded as the first single-chip PCs in the world.
O’Shea further stated that these computers were last used by an oil drilling company in the 1970s and their location is believed to be somewhere in Scandinavia.
Initially, the Just Clear staff did not realize they had uncovered these valuable artifacts. O’Shea later consulted an expert and learned that these devices are the first fully integrated desktop computers powered by a single-chip microprocessor.
The Q1, produced by American Q1 Corporation in 1972, is an industrial computer featuring an orange and black design, a plasma screen, and is considered a precursor to modern desktop computers. It marks a significant milestone in the evolution of computing.
Previous computers were equipped with multi-chip processors – but this machine was the first designed and powered by a single chip, the Intel 8008.
Paul Neve, a computer professor at Kingston University in the UK, stated: “There would be no PCs, no Macs, no Apple or Android phones without Q1 Corporation, the pioneers of the 1970s and 1980s who laid the groundwork for modern computing, which is prevalent in everyday life today.”
This pair of computers is temporarily on display at an exhibition at Kingston University alongside other significant devices in computing history, including ZX Spectrum and BBC Micro. The two Q1 computers may be auctioned off if they are not purchased by a museum or collector.
