Purdue, Virginia Professors to be Honored for Excellence in Semiconductor Research

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The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) and Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC) today announced the recipients of the 2023 University Research Awards: Dr. Supriyo Datta, the Thomas Duncan Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Purdue University, and Dr. Kevin Skadron, the Harry Douglas Forsyth Professor of Computer Science at the University of Virginia.

SIA and SRC present the University Research Awards annually to professors who demonstrate excellence in advancing research in semiconductor technology and design. Professors Datta and Skadron will receive the awards at the SIA Awards Dinner on Nov. 16, 2023 in San Jose, Calif.

“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 plows about one-fifth of revenue into R&D. Robust investments in research, including semiconductor research, are vital to maintaining our country’s technological edge.

“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,” said Dr. Todd Younkin, President and CEO of SRC. “Professors Datta and Skadron join a distinguished lineup of past award winners who have all made incredible contributions to the semiconductor industry.”

Professor Supriyo Datta will receive the honor for excellence in semiconductor technology research. His research work on quantum transport theory, molecular electronics, and spintronics has formulated a solid foundation for modern nanoelectronics. Professor Datta’s work has also enabled quantum-inspired computing for key challenges like drug exploration, utilizing room temperature technologies such as magneto-resistive random-access memory (MRAM). Datta is an IEEE/APS Fellow and has received numerous awards, including the 2001 SRC Technical Excellence Award, the 2002 IEEE Cledo Brunetti Award, and the 2008 IEEE Leon Kirchmayer Award. He is also a member of the National Academy of Engineering.

Professor Kevin Skadron will receive the award for excellence in semiconductor design research. His research work on thermal and power management, hardware acceleration, memory systems, automata processing, branch prediction, benchmarking, and applications of control theory has been shaping industrial hardware evolution. This has led to new designs for processing in memory (PIM), and 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. Professor Skadron received the 2011 ACM SIGARCH Maurice Wilkes Award and is both an IEEE and ACM Fellow.