Computer Architecture

The continuous improvements in single-core CMOS architecture performance that has driven our entire computing industry for decades is now broken irreparably. Computer Architecture research at UCSB is defining with the way that future generations of computing machines will be organized and designed in this new era. We push the frontiers of Computer Architecture by taking an interdisciplinary and cross-cutting approach which aims to bring the best advancements in both software (algorithms, compilers, operating systems, languages, machine learning) and hardware (circuits, devices, materials, and integration) together to transform what is possible with a machine. From the smallest 8-bit microcontroller, to the largest warehouse-sized data center, to the most powerful quantum computers, UCSB is providing the architectural solutions necessary to drive computing innovation.

Affilated Labs: 
ArchLab, RACELab, SysML Lab


The end of classical transistor scaling laws (i.e. Dennard Scaling) means that radical new approaches to computing systems are desperately needed.  Professor Sherwood and his lab have been developing systems for this new era which use application-customization to achieve efficiency, exploit new devices and materials for new computational abilities, and attempt to provide functionality beyond performance such as provable security properties.