Andy Hopper

Andy Hopper is a British computer scientist, engineer and entrepreneur known for his work on computer networks and for helping to build the Cambridge technology cluster. Born in Warsaw in 1953, he studied at Swansea University and completed a PhD at the University of Cambridge in 1978.

While a postgraduate student, Hopper worked with Hermann Hauser and Chris Curry on networking technology that became Econet. The system gave Acorn computers an affordable local-area network and was later widely used with BBC Micro computers in British schools. Hopper was a co-founder of Acorn and remained closely involved in the company's early technical direction.

His research joined academic computer science with commercial engineering. He helped establish the Cambridge Ring network and later co-founded the Olivetti Research Laboratory, where work ranged from high-speed networking to the Active Badge location system. Companies arising from this research included Virata and RealVNC.

Hopper became Professor of Computer Technology at the University of Cambridge and served as Head of the Computer Laboratory. Across research, teaching and company creation, his career helped make Cambridge an important centre for networking and computer systems.