Tanel Tammet is an
Estonia
Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...
n computer scientist, professor,
software engineer
Software engineering is a branch of both computer science and engineering focused on designing, developing, testing, and maintaining software applications. It involves applying engineering principles and computer programming expertise to develop ...
, and
computer programmer
A programmer, computer programmer or coder is an author of computer source code someone with skill in computer programming.
The professional titles ''software developer'' and ''software engineer'' are used for jobs that require a progr ...
. He was also one of the founding members of the
Estonian Greens
The Estonian Greens (, EER) is a green political party in Estonia. Founded in 2006, the party held six seats in the Riigikogu from 2007 to 2011. Its objective is to ensure that Estonia's development is environmentally friendly, sustainable, po ...
party,
and helped found the IT College in
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Estonia, most populous city of Estonia. Situated on a Tallinn Bay, bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, it has a population of (as of 2025) and ...
.
Life and career
Born in 1965, Tammet had early access to the
University of Tartu
The University of Tartu (UT; ; ) is a public research university located in the city of Tartu, Estonia. It is the national university of Estonia. It is also the largest and oldest university in the country. 's computers through his father's work at the
physics
Physics is the scientific study of matter, its Elementary particle, fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge whi ...
department. As a result, he eventually graduated from the university's maths department in
applied mathematics
Applied mathematics is the application of mathematics, mathematical methods by different fields such as physics, engineering, medicine, biology, finance, business, computer science, and Industrial sector, industry. Thus, applied mathematics is a ...
, specializing in
information technology
Information technology (IT) is a set of related fields within information and communications technology (ICT), that encompass computer systems, software, programming languages, data processing, data and information processing, and storage. Inf ...
. He took interest in
automated theorem proving
Automated theorem proving (also known as ATP or automated deduction) is a subfield of automated reasoning and mathematical logic dealing with proving mathematical theorems by computer programs. Automated reasoning over mathematical proof was a majo ...
and graduated from the
Gothenburg
Gothenburg ( ; ) is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, second-largest city in Sweden, after the capital Stockholm, and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated by the Kattegat on the west coast of Sweden, it is the gub ...
Chalmers University of Technology
Chalmers University of Technology (, commonly referred to as Chalmers) is a private university, private research university located in Gothenburg, Sweden. Chalmers focuses on engineering and science, but more broadly it also conducts research ...
with a Ph.D. in 1992. He lived in Sweden for the most part of that decade, then returned to Tallinn.
Tammet received international renown for his automated theorem proving program Gandalf, which won different categories of the
Conference on Automated Deduction
A conference is a meeting, often lasting a few days, which is organized on a particular subject, or to bring together people who have a common interest. Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always ...
(CADE) CASC competition six times between 1997 and 2003. He has been the Estonian delegate to the Information Systems Technology Panel of the NATO Research and Technology Organisation, and written about
cyber security
Computer security (also cybersecurity, digital security, or information technology (IT) security) is a subdiscipline within the field of information security. It consists of the protection of computer software, systems and networks from thr ...
. He often teaches or speaks about
artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) is the capability of computer, computational systems to perform tasks typically associated with human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, problem-solving, perception, and decision-making. It is a field of re ...
, and has asserted that it already exists, albeit in a primitive and distributed form.
From 2006, Tammet was a founding member and member of the board of the Estonian Greens.
[ The party was elected into the ]Riigikogu
The Riigikogu (, from Estonian ''riigi-'', "of the state", and ''kogu'', "assembly") is the unicameral parliament of Estonia. In addition to approving legislation, the Parliament appoints high officials, including the prime minister and chi ...
the following year with 7.1% of the nationwide vote, which granted them six seats. In 2010, amid growing tensions following their failed runs in the European Parliament and local elections in 2009, Tammet along with 19 other members was thrown out of the party. It subsequently failed to reach the minimum 5% of the vote needed in the 2011 parliamentary elections and faded.
Tammet is a professor at the Tallinn University of Technology
Established in 1918, Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech; ) is the only Institute of technology, technical university in Estonia. TalTech, in the capital city of Tallinn, is a university for engineering, business, public administration a ...
and is the faculty manager of its computer science
Computer science is the study of computation, information, and automation. Computer science spans Theoretical computer science, theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, and information theory) to Applied science, ...
institute. Formerly he had helped found the Tallinn IT College and was on its board of advisors from its inception in 2003.Panoramio
Panoramio was a geo-located tagging, photo sharing mashup active between 2005 and 2016. Photos uploaded to the site were accessible as a layer in Google Earth and Google Maps. The site's goal was to allow Google Earth users to learn more about ...
, Wikipedia
Wikipedia is a free content, free Online content, online encyclopedia that is written and maintained by a community of volunteers, known as Wikipedians, through open collaboration and the wiki software MediaWiki. Founded by Jimmy Wales and La ...
, and Foursquare City Guide
Foursquare City Guide, commonly known as Foursquare, is a local search-and-discovery mobile app developed by Foursquare (company), Foursquare Labs Inc. The app provides personalized recommendations of places near a user's current location based ...
.
Tammet has two children.[ In 2002, he was issued the fifth class of the ]Order of the White Star
The Order of the White Star (; ) was instituted in 1936. The Order of the White Star is bestowed on Estonian citizens and foreigners to give recognition for services rendered to the Estonian state.
Design
Classes
The Order of the White Star ...
.
Books
* Tammet, Tanel; ''Teejuht võrgumaailma'', Tartu : Ilmamaa, 1997.
* Tamme, Tõnu; Tammet, Tanel; Prank, Rein
''Loogika: Mõtlemisest tõestamiseni''
Tartu : Tartu Ülikooli Kirjastus, 1997.
References
External links
Personal page on Google Sites
Sightsmap
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tammet, Tanel
1965 births
Living people
Estonian computer scientists
Estonian Greens politicians
University of Tartu alumni
Scientists from Tallinn
21st-century Estonian politicians
Recipients of the Order of the White Star, 5th Class