Robert Kahn (computer scientist)

Lore & Background

Through his father, he is related to futurist Herman Kahn. After receiving a bachelor's in electrical engineering from the City College of New York in 1960, Kahn went on to Princeton University where he earned a M.A. At Princeton, he was advised by Bede Liu and completed a doctoral dissertation titled 'Some problems in the sampling and modulation of signals.'

Kahn first worked at Bolt Beranek and Newman Inc., where he was the principal designer of the ARPANET. He then helped develop the TCP/IP protocols for connecting diverse computer networks. After he became director of IPTO, he started the United States government's billion dollar Strategic Computing Initiative. While working on the SATNET satellite packet network project, Kahn came up with the initial ideas for what later became TCP. Later, the protocol was separated into two layers: host-to-host communication handled by TCP, with IP handling internetwork communication.

Reader's Guide

Robert Kahn's significance lies in his foundational role in creating the technical architecture of the Internet. Along with Vint Cerf, he designed TCP/IP, the set of protocols that allow diverse computer networks to communicate with each other, regardless of underlying hardware or software. This work, which grew out of his earlier design of the ARPANET, established the principles of packet switching, routing through gateways (now routers), and reliable data transmission via sequence numbers, acknowledgements, timeouts, and checksums. Kahn's leadership extended beyond technical invention: he directed the IPTO at DARPA, launched the Strategic Computing Initiative, and later founded the Corporation for National Research Initiatives. His contributions were recognized with the 2004 Turing Award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Japan Prize, and many other honors. The protocols he co-created remain the basis of the modern Internet, enabling global communication and information exchange.

Did You Know?

• He is related to futurist Herman Kahn through his father.