48. USAF AN/FSQ-7 (SAGE) Computer System
Also Appears In: Independence Day, Sleeper, U.S. Marshals, Westworld, Beverly Hills Cop 2, Austin Powers in Goldmember, Lost, Gremlins II
Estimated Savings: $100,000*
The USAF AN/FSQ-7 (SAGE) computer system was a command and control system used during the Cold War. It was built in 1958, and it occupied a half-acre of floor space, weighing around 550,000 pounds. The SAGE was the largest computer in the world at the time and it cost $103 billion to build, adjusting for inflation.
USAF AN/FSQ-7 (SAGE) Computer System @r/mildlyinteresting / Reddit.com
After the Cold War ended, SAGE was used for movies and film, as it seemed like a waste to get rid of such an expensive, intricate system. The AN/FSQ-7 looks like a huge, nondescript switchboard with a ton of blinking lights, wires, and nodes. It has been reused in movies and TV shows like Independence Day, Sleeper, U.S. Marshals, Westworld, Beverly Hills Cop 2, Austin Powers in Goldmember, Lost, Gremlins II, and many, many more.