80 years ago, the digital age began in Berlin. Konrad Zuse presented the world's first fully functional program-controlled computer, the Z3, on May 12, 1941. In addition, he developed "Plankalkül", a universal algorithmic language.
Zuse's basic idea was that the computer would not only simplify computing, but would also change the human approach to complex thought processes. In this spirit, the Zuse-Institute Berlin (ZIB), named after the pioneer, deals with "Computational Thinking". Here, methods and algorithms are developed to solve the most difficult problems with the help of computers. Computational thinking is increasingly seen as one of the pillars of all technical sciences, including mathematics.
We as humanity are facing major challenges: From climate change to the energy and mobility transition to the healthcare system of the future. Finding the best solutions for all of us requires intensive computational research. At ZIB, our research contributes to rapid progress in all of these areas. We combine the development of ever better methods for simulation and optimization with one of the fastest computers in Germany. This makes excellent research at the cutting edge of technology possible.
ZIB is a research institute of the state of Berlin with more than 200 researchers and almost 100 employees in the research-supporting area. The majority of the researchers are from mathematics and computer science, but many other disciplines such as physics and chemistry, life and social sciences are also strongly represented. With this thematic breadth, the institute is successful in basic research in many application fields at the same time. The transfer of research results to industry is also a high priority.
With advances in artificial intelligence, the term computational thinking has taken on a new twist. Machine learning is invading our everyday lives, but it is also revolutionizing many areas of science. ZIB is the place where these new technologies find a connection with other areas of computational research to harness their enormous potential. This serves not only the digital economy, but above all us humans - as the great challenges of our time can be tackled and overcome.
