Nine European countries are activity engaged in the development of "mechanical brains," Howard H. Aiken, professor of applied Mathematics and director of the Harvard Computation Laboratory, said recently.

Aiken spoke last month before the first large gathering of computing machine experts after touring centers in eight European countries. England, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzerland, he said, have already built large-scale computing machines, with Belgium, Western Germany, Italy, and Spain planning construction.

European interest in "mechanical brains," according to Aiken, grew after the University announced the construction of the first large-scale digital calculating machine in 1944. The machines are capable of solving complex mathematical problems thousands of times faster than the human brain.