WisBusiness: UW’s comp. sci. chief saysindustry poised for renewed growth

By Brian E. Clark
WisBusiness.com

MADISON – Computer systems will become faster, more reliable, easier to use, more robust
and have more capabilities in the years to come.

Moreover, Gordon Moore’s theory – that chip performance will double every 18 months –
will continue for at least another decade.

That’s the sentiment of Prof. Guri Sohi, who was appointed chairman of the computer
sciences department of UW-Madison this July.

It’s also good news for the computer industry, which is still working its way through the
effects of the dot-com bust.

Many analysts now believe the information technology sector is poised for renewed growth –
in part because of research coming out of respected computer science labs like those at UW-
Madison.

Sohi is the keynote speaker at an Accelerate Madison meeting set for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at
the Fluno Center for Executive Education, 601 University Ave., Madison.

In addition to Sohi, two other faculty members – Profs. Somesh Jha and Miron Livny – will
discuss advances and research into computer security and networking.

In an interview Monday, Sohi predicted said the computers might soon be able to offer
multiple processors on one chip that can carry out multiple functions at the same time.

“That means the everything a big server can do today will be performed on a microprocessor
in five to seven years,” predicted Sohi, who will discuss research coming out his department and
its potential impact on the computer industry.

Sohi’s research has been in the design of high-performance computer systems. He has co-
authored several papers and patents that have influenced both researchers and commercial
microprocessors.

He has worked extensively with the information technology industry and given talks to
design groups at most of the leading microprocessor manufacturers in industry, including Cray
Research, Digital Equipment, HaL, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Intel, MIPS, Motorola, Silicon Graphics,
and Sun Microsystems.

Wednesday evening’s event is hosted by Accelerate Madison and the UW-Madison Office of
Corporate Relations. It is open to the public. General Admission is $25 and a networking session
will precede the speech at 5 p.m. To register online, go to www.acceleratemadison.org.

Accelerate Madison is a group of information technology entrepreneurs, business leaders,
educators and students.

A live and on-demand Webcast of the program (complete video, audio and slides) will be
available using Mediasite Live technology from Madison-based Sonic Foundry, Inc. To access the Webcast,
look up www.acceleratemadison.org and go to the “Webcasts” tab on or after 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Editor’s note: Gordon Moore wrote an article for Electronics magazine in 1965 on the future
of the semiconductor industry. By tracking the history of the growing integrated chip, Moore
made a prediction about its future. He said that the number of components on a single silicon
chip would continue to double every year. This prediction became known as Moore’s Law.