How does your research background in computing pair with furthering the mission of IIDAI? 

My research expertise in datacenter computer architecture and hardware-software co-design is inherently synergistic with IIDAI’s mission to pioneer the next generation of hybrid cloud and AI infrastructure. By specializing in Compute Express Link (CXL) and memory-centric architectures, I address critical bottlenecks in distributed AI workloads. Specifically, my work on the network and compute co-design of efficient LLM training systems directly furthers IIDAI’s objective of optimizing scalability and performance. This alignment facilitates the development of energy-efficient, high-throughput systems, ensuring that foundational AI models remain both robust and sustainable across complex, distributed computing environments. Ultimately, my research bridges the gap between advanced hardware capabilities and transformative AI discovery.

Recent publications from your lab, such as NetZIP and LIA, involve IIDAI students as co-authors. What does that collaborative model look like in practice, and how does working within IIDAI shape the research experience for your graduate students?

The IIDAI model fosters an intense collaboration between UIUC student researchers and IBM’s veterans. For projects like NetZIP, the robust infrastructure support from IBM and co-work with IBM veterans through periodic meetings were tremendously helpful. Specifically, access to IBM’s high-performance GPU clusters proved instrumental in facilitating the rigorous evaluation and validation of the model used for NetZIP. This immersion ensures graduate research remains both theoretically innovative and practically grounded in modern enterprise needs.

What have been your biggest breakthrough moments while conducting your research within IIDAI?

LIA. This work has already received a best paper award, and the key student of the work will join IBM as a summer intern to explore the deployment of the technology to IBM hybrid cloud.

IIDAI is built around several thrust areas that are designed to address large-scale global challenges. How does being part of an institute with that kind of scope and ambition influence the way you think about the significance of your own work?

Being part of IIDAI has really changed how I think about my research. It has pushed me to look past just fixing hardware and instead focus on how technology can help solve much bigger, real-world problems.

I get to see a wide range of global issues and new technologies that I wouldn’t encounter anywhere else. The most rewarding part is seeing how IBM’s practical requirements and the creative, "outside-the-box" thinking of my students come together. This environment helps me figure out exactly where my expertise can make the most difference in solving "grand challenge" problems and making AI systems more reliable for everyone.