The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) and Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC) announced two recipients of the 2023 University Research Awards, including Professor Kevin Skadron, the Harry Douglas Forsyth Professor of Computer Science at the University of Virginia's School of Engineering and Applied Science. SIA and SRC present the University Research Awards at their annual Awards Dinner to professors who demonstrate excellence in advancing research in semiconductor technology and design, and this year include both Skadron and Professor Supriyo Datta of Purdue University. Skadron is the first-ever recipient of this award from the University of Virginia.
Skadron, who is receiving the award for excellence in semiconductor design research, is a leading researcher on thermal and power management, hardware acceleration, memory systems, automata processing, branch prediction, benchmarking, and applications of control theory, all of which has been shaping the evolution of industrial hardware. His work has led to new designs for processing in memory (PIM) as well as improved performance and energy efficiency in central processing units (CPUs), graphics processing units (GPUs), and field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) for high-performance systems, such as in data centers and gaming systems. Skadron, a past chair of UVA Engineering's Computer Science department and a past leader of the Center for Research in Intelligent Storage and Processing in Memory (CRISP), has also received the 2011 ACM SIGARCH Maurice Wilkes Award and is both an IEEE and ACM Fellow.
“Research is the lifeblood of semiconductor innovation, enabling better, faster, more efficient chips that power the technologies of today and tomorrow,” said John Neuffer, president and CEO of SIA, which represents U.S. leadership in semiconductor manufacturing, design and research. “Professors Datta and Skadron represent the finest in the field of semiconductor research, contributing to semiconductor advances that are making our world smarter, greener, healthier, more productive and better connected. We are thrilled to recognize Dr. Datta and Dr. Skadron for their outstanding achievements.”
Neuffer also highlighted the importance of continued progress in the implementation of the CHIPS and Science Act, which provides critical semiconductor manufacturing incentives and research investments. This federal research funding will complement existing large investments from the semiconductor industry, which invests about one-fifth of revenue into R&D. Robust investments in research, including semiconductor research, are vital to maintaining our country’s technological edge, Neuffer said.
Dr. Todd Younkin, President and CEO of SRC, echoed Neuffer's accolades. “We are always excited for the opportunity to work closely with our industry partners to select the University Research Awards for both semiconductor technology and design,” he said. “Professors Datta and Skadron join a distinguished lineup of past award winners who have all made incredible contributions to the semiconductor industry.”