David Patterson

David Patterson. An American computer scientist renowned for his transformative contributions to computer architecture and computer engineering education. His pioneering work on RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer) processors and RAID (Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks) storage systems fundamentally reshaped modern computing. Patterson is a professor emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley and a distinguished engineer at Google, where he co-led the design of the Tensor Processing Unit.

Early life and education

Born in Evergreen Park, Illinois, Patterson developed an early interest in engineering and technology. He pursued his undergraduate studies at University of California, Los Angeles, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in 1969. He continued at the same institution for his graduate work under the guidance of his doctoral advisor, David F. Martin. Patterson received his Master of Science in 1970 and his Doctor of Philosophy in 1976, with his dissertation focusing on dynamic memory management and computer performance evaluation. His formative academic years at UCLA solidified his foundational knowledge in electrical engineering and computer science.

Career and research

Patterson began his academic career in 1976, joining the faculty of the University of California, Berkeley in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences. In the early 1980s, alongside John L. Hennessy of Stanford University, he pioneered the RISC architecture, a concept that challenged the prevailing CISC (Complex Instruction Set Computer) design paradigms. This collaboration led to the development of the Berkeley RISC project and the commercial success of architectures like SPARC, MIPS, and ARM. Concurrently, Patterson, with Randy Katz, formulated the principles of RAID, revolutionizing data storage reliability and performance. Later, he contributed to the Network of Workstations (NOW) project, which influenced cluster computing and cloud computing infrastructures. In 2016, he joined Google as a distinguished engineer, co-designing the domain-specific Tensor Processing Unit for accelerating machine learning workloads.

Awards and honors

Patterson's work has been recognized with the highest accolades in computing. He received the IEEE John von Neumann Medal in 2000 and the Eckert–Mauchly Award in 2008 for his contributions to computer architecture. In 2017, he and John L. Hennessy were jointly awarded the ACM Turing Award, often described as the "Nobel Prize of Computing," for their systematic, quantitative approach to designing faster, lower-power, and reduced-instruction-set computer chips. He is a fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Patterson was also elected to the National Academy of Engineering and the National Academy of Sciences, and he served as president of the Association for Computing Machinery from 2004 to 2006.

Publications and impact

Patterson is the co-author, with John L. Hennessy, of two seminal and widely adopted textbooks: *Computer Architecture: A Quantitative Approach* and *Computer Organization and Design*. These texts, often referred to as the "Hennessy and Patterson" books, have educated generations of engineers and are considered canonical works in the field. His extensive publication record includes influential papers on RISC, RAID, and dependable computing presented at major forums like the International Symposium on Computer Architecture. His advocacy for open-source hardware through the RISC-V instruction set architecture has had a profound impact on the industry, promoting innovation and accessibility in processor design for applications from embedded systems to supercomputers.

Personal life

Patterson is known for his dedication to teaching and mentoring, having advised numerous doctoral students who have become leaders in academia and industry. An avid runner, he has completed multiple marathons. He maintains a strong connection with the University of California, Berkeley, where the Patterson Room in Soda Hall is named in his honor. His career exemplifies a blend of groundbreaking research, transformative educational contributions, and successful industrial collaboration, leaving an indelible mark on the global technology landscape.

Category:American computer scientists Category:University of California, Berkeley faculty Category:Turing Award laureates Category:1947 births Category:Living people