The University of Illinois

New Frontiers Initiative Webinar and Training Series

May 17, 2022

What Keeps Computer Architects Awake at Night

by Josep Torrellas, Department of Computer Science, University of Illinois

8 AM Pacific / 9 AM Mountain / 10 AM Central / 11 AM Eastern for 1 hour.

Abstract

Computer architecture has again reached a time of major changes. Industry and academia are actively following multiple promising paths. To paint a (limited) picture of the landscape, this talk examines some of the main challenges that computer architects are facing today and what are possible avenues of growth. I will describe issues such as how to integrate more useful functionality in less volume, or how to remain competitive in the cloud, outlining some of the areas where my group has recently contributed.

Biography

Josep Torrellas is the Saburo Muroga Professor of Computer Science at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). He is the Director of the Center for Programmable Extreme-Scale Computing. His research interests are computer architectures for shared-memory multiprocessors and parallel computing. Some of his contributions include thread-level speculation (TLS) techniques, the Bulk Multiprocessor concept, and deterministic record and replay designs. In addition, he has contributed to several experimental multiprocessor designs such as IBM's PERCS Multiprocessor, Intel's Runnemede Extreme-Scale Multiprocessor, Illinois Cedar, and Stanford DASH.

Torrellas received the IEEE CS Harry H. Goode Memorial Award, the UIUC Campus Award for Excellence in Graduate Student Mentoring, the IEEE CS Technical Achievement Award, and multiple Best Paper Awards. He is a Fellow of IEEE, ACM, and AAAS. Torrellas is the Chair of the IEEE CS Technical Committee on Computer Architecture (TCCA). He has served in the Board of Directors of the Computing Research Association (CRA), and has been a Council Member of CRAs Computing Community Consortium (CCC). He serves in the International Roadmap for Devices and Systems (IRDS), and is a Member of the U.S. National Academies Board on Army Research and Development. Torrellas has mentored generations of computer architects. Of his 48 Ph.D. graduates, over a dozen are faculty at top US academic institutions. Prior to being at UIUC, Torrellas received a Ph.D. from Stanford University.

Please register for the webinar.