Computer Architecture & VLSI

Research in architecture and VLSI is part of the Computer Systems Laboratory. Computer Systems research at Cornell encompasses both experimental and theoretical work growing out of topics in computer architecture, parallel computer architecture, operating systems and compilers, computer protocols and networks, programming languages and environments, distributed systems, VLSI design, and system specification and verification.

Faculty members with primary interests in the architecture and VLSI area include:

Faculty and Researchers

David Albonesi's research interests include adaptive and reconfigurable multi-core and processor architectures, power- and reliability-aware computing, and high performance interconnect architectures using silicon nanophotonics. In addition to his academic experience, he has ten years of industry experience as a technical manager, computer architect, and chip designer at IBM and Prime Computer.

Christopher Batten's research interests include energy-efficient parallel computer architecture for both high-performance and embedded applications. He is also interested in parallel programming models, interconnection networks, vector processing, VLSI chip design methodologies, and the intersection between computer architecture and future technologies such as 3D integration and silicon photonics.

Jose F. Martinez is associate professor of electrical and computer engineering and graduate field member of computer science at Cornell. He leads the M3 Architecture Research Group. His research work has earned several awards; among them: two IEEE Micro Top Picks papers; a HPCA Best Paper Award; a NSF CAREER Award; and two IBM Faculty Awards. On the teaching side, he has been recognized with a 2005 Kenneth A. Goldman '71 Excellence in Teaching Award, and as a 2007 Merrill Presidential Teacher. He also organizes the Computer Engineering Lecture Series.

Adrian Sampson designs hardware–software abstractions. His work on approximate computing pairs new computer architectures with new programming language constructs to let programmers safely trade off small amounts of accuracy for large returns in efficiency. Challenges in approximate programming range from information-flow control for safety to probabilistic program analysis and compiler design. Sampson is curious about new ways to safely give programmers control over system details that are ordinarily hidden from view.

G. Edward Suh's research interests include computer systems in general with particular focus on computer architecture. He is interested in combining architectural techniques with low-level software to enhance various aspects of computing systems such as performance, security, and reliability.

Zhiru Zhang's research investigates new algorithms, methodologies, and design automation tools for heterogeneous computing systems. Recent research projects focus on the topics of high-level synthesis, hardware specialization for machine learning, and programming models for software-defined FPGAs.