The 3rd Revolution in Computing has just begun: Connecting the Physical World to the Power of the Digital World

Abstract – Half a century of Moore’s Law has results in computing and communication systems of incredible power. As a consequence, we are now beginning the third revolution in which digital processing is beginning to be embedded in devices and systems all around us. While this is enabling fascinating possibilities such as autonomous vehicles, new approaches to healthcare and more efficient industrial infrastructure it also must address new and difficult technical challenges. Some of these challenges include radical improvement in wireless communication, powering the trillions of embedded devices with Nano or Picowatts rather than Milliwatts and creating robust security for networked systems of embedded devices.

Moreover, these challenges can no longer depend on the exponential scaling of Moore’s Law that had been provided by the Dennard Scaling of CMOS. Alternatives technologies from new semiconducting materials to new processor architectures in support of advanced algorithms are required and will be discussed in the seminar.

Biography – Dr. Fuller is the Chief Technology Officer Emeritus and Distinguished Scientist at Analog Devices Inc. As CTO he led the technology strategy, established the Analog Garage, an advanced technology design center and directed other R&D programs in the US and Asia. He currently has an appointment as a Research Scientist at MIT participating in joint MIT-ADI research projects.

Prior to joining ADI in 1998, Dr. Fuller was Vice President of Research and Chief Scientist of Digital Equipment Corporation, where he established and led Digital’s research laboratories that led to innovations in RISC computers, network processors, and Internet search engines.

In the 1970s, Dr. Fuller was an Associate Professor of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, where he lead the design and performance evaluation of pioneering multiprocessor computer systems.

He holds a B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan and M.S. and Ph.D degrees from Stanford University. He is an IEEE Fellow, AAAS Fellow, and a member of the National Academy of Engineering. He has authored over 30 technical publications and contributed to several textbooks in Computer Science. Dr. Fuller has served on several National Research Council studies including “Cryptography’s Role in Securing the Information Society” and chaired the study “The Future of Computing Performance: Game Over or Next Level?”