André Trương Trọng Thi (1936–2005) was a

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

ese-

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

computer engineer Computer engineering (CE, CoE, or CpE) is a branch of engineering specialized in developing computer hardware and software. It integrates several fields of electrical engineering, electronics engineering and computer science. Computer engine ...

. He is considered to be the "father of the

personal computer A personal computer, commonly referred to as PC or computer, is a computer designed for individual use. It is typically used for tasks such as Word processor, word processing, web browser, internet browsing, email, multimedia playback, and PC ...

" for his 1973 creation along with French inventor

François Gernelle François Gernelle (born December 20, 1944) is a French engineer, computer scientist and entrepreneur famous for inventing the first micro-computer using a micro-processor, the Micral N. Education In the late 1960s, Gernelle earned an engine ...

of the

Micral N Micral is a series of microcomputers produced by the French company Réalisation d'Études Électroniques ( R2E), beginning with the Micral N in early 1973. The Micral N was one of the first commercially available microprocessor-based computers. I ...

microcomputer based on an

Intel 8008 The Intel 8008 ("''eight-thousand-eight''" or "''eighty-oh-eight''") is an early 8-bit microprocessor capable of addressing 16 KB of memory, introduced in April 1972. The 8008 architecture was designed by Computer Terminal Corporation (CTC) and ...

processor, one of the world's first commercial microcomputers.

Early life

Trương Trọng Thi was born in 1936 in Cholon (

Saigon Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) ('','' TP.HCM; ), commonly known as Saigon (; ), is the most populous city in Vietnam with a population of around 14 million in 2025. The city's geography is defined by rivers and canals, of which the largest is Saigo ...

). When he was 14 years old, he arrived in France to study, and later studied at the ''École française de radioélectricité'' (now EFREI). After working for

Schlumberger Schlumberger (), doing business as SLB, is a global multinational oilfield services company. Founded in France in 1926, the company is now incorporated as Schlumberger NV in Willemstad, Curaçao, with principal executive offices in Houston ...

and

Intertechnique Zodiac Aerospace was a French aerospace group, active from 1896 to 2018, that supplied systems and equipment for aircraft. In October 2018, it was acquired by French aerospace and defense company Safran. History Aeronautic foundations (1896� ...

for some time, he formed the company R2E (''Réalisation d'Études Électroniques'') in 1971. In 1973, thanks to

and a team of engineers, his company created the

Micral Micral is a series of microcomputers produced by the French company Réalisation d'Études Électroniques (:fr:R2E, R2E), beginning with the Micral N in early 1973. The Micral N was one of the first commercially available microprocessor-based compu ...

, the first non-kit microprocessor-based

in the world. It was created two years before the

MITS Altair The Altair 8800 is a microcomputer introduced in 1974 by Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems (MITS) based on the Intel 8080 central processing unit, CPU. It was the first commercially successful personal computer. Interest in the Altair 8 ...

Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems, Inc. (MITS), was an American electronics company founded in Albuquerque, New Mexico that began manufacturing electronic calculators in 1971 and personal computers in 1975. Ed Roberts (computer engineer ...

arrived on the market. In 1981, R2E was absorbed by

Groupe Bull Bull SAS (also known as Groupe Bull, Bull Information Systems, or simply Bull) is a French computer company headquartered in Les Clayes-sous-Bois, in the western suburbs of Paris. The company has also been known at various times as Bull General ...

. The Micral computers were turned into a line of PC-compatibles in 1983. André Truong Trong Thi resigned from Bull, and joined the company Normerel formed by J. R. Tissot, a former member of R2E management. He developed the ''Oplite'' personal computer for Normerel. Normerel was in 1988 the third French computer maker after

and

SMT Goupil SMT Goupil (SMT - "Society of Microcomputing and Telecommunications") was a French IT company created in 1979 by Claude Perdrillat, previously a senior executive in the General Directorate of Telecommunications. The company produced many mic ...

. In 1995, he formed APCT, a software company specializing in

cryptography Cryptography, or cryptology (from "hidden, secret"; and ''graphein'', "to write", or ''-logy, -logia'', "study", respectively), is the practice and study of techniques for secure communication in the presence of Adversary (cryptography), ...

. In 1999, he was awarded the

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

. He died on April 4, 2005, in Paris after being hospitalized for two and a half years.

External links

A Talk with the Father of Computing
- Wired Magazine

- ZDNet France. Published on April 6, 2005
"Cha đẻ của máy vi tính" - Kỹ sư gốc Việt Trương Trọng Thi qua đời (the father of the personal computer passes away)
ietnam Television {{DEFAULTSORT:Truong, Andre Trong Thi French people of Vietnamese descent 20th-century French engineers Vietnamese engineers 1936 births 2005 deaths 20th-century engineers People from Ho Chi Minh City