Karl Steinbuch is considered one of the founders of computer science. The information technology center of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) has borne the name “Steinbuch Centre for Computing” since 2008. New findings reveal that Steinbuch, who researched and taught in Karlsruhe, identified as a young man with unacceptable acts of war during the Nazi era. Despite his scientific achievements, KIT is distancing itself from Steinbuch as a result of the new information and is renaming its information technology center. The new name will be “Scientific Computing Center”.
Though Karl Steinbuch had expressed moderate political views during his scientifically creative phase, he turned to far-right positions after his retirement. Since it had already become known by Steinbuch’s 100th birthday in 2017 that his views had shifted away from the political center as he grew older, that he had taken right-wing extremist positions after his retirement, and that in his old age he had regularly published articles in magazines associated with the right-wing extremist party NPD, the KIT Executive Board expressly stated as early as 2017 in connection with its acknowledgment of Steinbuch’s scientific achievements that KIT does not share the political views he expressed late in his life.
New Findings about Karl Steinbuch
Now new information about Steinbuch’s life has come to light, showing that he identified with unacceptable acts of war as a much younger man during the Nazi era (Anton F. Guhl: Kurskorrekturen eines Technokraten – Die politische Rechtswendung des Nachrichtentechnikers und Zukunftsforschers Karl Steinbuch nach 1970; Technikgeschichte Bd. 87 (2020) H. 4, S. 315-334).
Name Change Effective January 1, 2024
KIT has therefore decided to change the name of its information technology center. KIT’s committees have approved the decision; effective January 1, 2024, the center’s name will change to Scientific Computing Center.
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