AI Boom Revives Vintage Computers

As artificial intelligence advances, collectors around the world are keeping historic computers from companies such as Atari, Commodore and IBM, which helped shape the digital age, alive. Seattle software engineer Josh Dersch owns more than 200 such devices.

According to Euronews, the trend is spreading from the US to Europe and South America. For collectors, these old machines represent valuable artifacts of computer history, though they often require extensive repairs and careful restoration to their original working condition.

Erik Klein, president of the Vintage Computer Federation, also confirms this growing interest. In early August, more than 3,500 visitors attended the two-day Vintage Computer Festival in Mountain View, California, which celebrated the 50th anniversary of Apple’s founding in 1976. The event also featured Apple co-founders Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne.

The increased demand is also evident on online marketplaces, where rare models such as the historic Apple-1 computer can fetch hundreds of thousands of dollars. The collector community is also expanding its activities through repair workshops, swap meets and local festivals.

Sellam Ismail, who organized the first festival in 1997 for around 150 enthusiasts, said the community has continued to grow. With the festival approaching its 30th anniversary, he expects interest in preserving old technologies and their legacy for future generations to continue expanding in the coming years.

(max)