Communications of the ACM

Research Projects Activity (IARPA) is investing heavily in this approach within its Cryogenic Computing Complexity (C3) program. These non-traditional logic gates are made in small scale, at a size roughly 200 times larger than today’s transistors.

Another is to “bite the bullet and change the programming model,” Conte says. Although numerous ideas and concepts have been forwarded, most center on creating fixed-function (non-programmable) accelerators for critical parts of important programs. “The advantage is that when you remove programmability, you eliminate all the energy consumed in fetching and decoding instructions.” Another possibility—and one that is already taking shape—is to move computation away from the CPU and toward the actual data. Essentially, memory-centric architectures, which are in development in the lab, could muscle up processing without any improvements in chips.

Finally, researchers are exploring
completely different ways to compute,
including neuromorphic and quantum
models that rely on non-Von-Neumann
brain-inspired methods and quantum
computing. Rabaey says processors are
already heading in this direction. As
deep learning and cognitive comput-
ing emerge, GPU stacks are increasingly
used to accelerate performance at the
same or lower energy cost as traditional
CPUs. Likewise, mobile chips and the
Internet of Things bring entirely differ-
ent processing requirements into play.
“In some cases, this changes the para-
digm to lower processing requirements
on the system but having devices every-
where. We may see billions or trillions
of devices that integrate computation
and communication with sensing, ana-
lytics, and other tasks.”
In fact, as visual processing, big
data analytics, cryptography, AR/VR,
and other advanced technologies
evolve, it is likely researchers will
marry various approaches to produce
boutique chips that best fit the partic-
ular device and situation. Concludes
Conte: “The future is rooted in diver-
sity and building devices to meet the
needs of the computer architectures
that have the most promise.”

Further Reading

Conte, T.M., and Gargini, P.A.

On the Foundation of the New Computing Industry Beyond 2020, Executive Summary, IEEE Rebooting Computing and ITRS. September 2015. http://

rebootingcomputing.ieee.org/images/files/ pdf/prelim-ieee-rc-itrs.pdf

Lam., C.H.

Neuromorphic Semiconductor Memory, 3D Systems Integration Conference (3DIC), 2015 International, 31 Aug.- 2 Sept. 2015. http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/ document/7334566/

Claeys, C., Chiappe, D., Collaert, N., Mitard, J., Radu, I., Rooyackers, R., Simoen, E., Vandooren, A., Veloso, A., Waldron, NH. Witters, L., and Thean, A. Advanced Semiconductor Devices for Future CMOS Technologies, ECS Transactions, 66 ( 5) 49-60 (2015) 10.1149/06605.0049ecst ©The Electrochemical Society.

2015. https://www.researchgate.net/ profile/C_Claeys/publication/277896307_ Invited_Advanced_Semiconductor_ Devices_for_Future_CMOS_Technologies/ links/565ad44408aefe619b240bcc.pdf

Cheong, H.

Management of Technology Strategies Required for Major Semiconductor Manufacturer to Survive in Future Market, Graduate School of Management of Technology, Hoseo University, Asan 336- 795, Korea, Procedia Computer Science 91 (2016) 1116 – 1118. Information Technology and Quantitative Management (ITQM 2016). http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/ article/pii/S1877050916313564

Samuel Greengard is an author and journalist based in West Linn, OR.

RENAMED “ACM PRIZE IN COMPUTING” TO RECOGNIZE CONTRIBUTIONS BY YOUNG PROFESSIONALS

ACM recently announced that the ACM-Infosys Foundation Award in the Computing Sciences has been renamed the ACM Prize in Computing.

Infosys will continue to fund the award, which recognizes computing professionals in the early to middle stages of their careers. In conjunction with the renaming of the award, the corresponding cash prize has been increased to $250,000.

The ACM Prize in Computing
recognizes computing
professionals for early-to-mid-
career, fundamental, innovative
contributions in computing
that, through depth, impact, and
broad implications, exemplify
the greatest achievements in
the discipline. The inaugural
ACM-Infosys Foundation Award
in the Computing Sciences was
awarded in 2007 to Daphne
Koller.

In addition to Koller, past recipients have included Stefan Savage (2015), Dan Boneh (2014), David Blei (2013), Jeff Dean and Sanjay Ghemawat (2012), Sanjeev Arora (2011), Frans Kaashoek (2010), Eric Brewer (2009), and Jon Kleinberg (2008).

“Many people know that ACM
bestows the A. M. Turing Award,
often referred to as ‘the Nobel
Prize of Computing’ and our
field’s most prestigious honor,”
explained ACM President
Vicki L. Hanson. “However, by
focusing on early- and mid-
career professionals, the ACM
Prize highlights innovations that
are changing paradigms and
reshaping technology in ways
that will lay future foundations
in the field.”
“An awards program serves
to educate the public about
how important research and
achievement impacts society,”
adds Vishal Sikka, CEO of
Infosys. “The computing field,
where the pace of change
is more rapid than other
disciplines, has experienced
unprecedented transformations
during the past 10 years. In
addition to giving credit to these
young visionaries, the ACM Prize
will enlighten the public about
the underpinnings
that make technological
advances possible.”
Underscoring the renaming
and prestige of the award, the
Heidelberg Laurate Forum
Foundation announced that
ACM Prize in Computing
recipients will now be invited
to participate in the Heidelberg
Laureate Forum (HLF), an
annual networking event for
mathematicians and computing
scientists from all over the
world. Each September, HLF
brings the laureates of the
major awards in computer
science and mathematics
together with brilliant young
researchers from around
the globe to Heidelberg,
Germany, for a week of
intensive exchange. ACM Prize
recipients will join laureates
of the ACM A.M. Turing Award
(computer science), the Abel
Prize (mathematics), the
Fields Medal (mathematics),
and the Nevanlinna Prize
(mathematics).

The recipient of the 2016 ACM Prize in Computing will be announced in April, and will be formally recognized at ACM’s annual awards banquet in San Francisco.