There are two stages really, right? Pre-microprocessor, it takes some effort to put together a programmable computer. Although now even amateurs implement compu

There are two stages really, right? Pre-microprocessor, it takes some effort to put together a programmable computer. Although now even amateurs implement computers based on 74-series and memory chips without a microprocessor. After the microprocessor, it was truly very manageable for an amateur anywhere to build a computer. A handful of chips get you there, with no requirement for elaborate PCB or routing. Wikipedia lists the Mark-8 as first published and available as kit, in 1974 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark-8 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark-8 - from a chemistry grad student. So, any country is now in. No problem. And "more interesting" university or research projects shift to LISP machines, multiprocessors, coprocessors, etc, or the VLSI chips themselves. Which does not prevent countries from promoting "national microcomputers" (including OS and programming language translated in the local language). Around microprocessors what is also interesting in this second phase are the commercial and "industry" development attempts in various countries as described by Asianometry.