Steve Furber

Steve Furber
Name	Steve Furber
Birth date	21 March 1953
Birth place	Manchester, England
Nationality	British
Fields	Computer science, Computer engineering
Workplaces	University of Manchester, Acorn Computers
Alma mater	University of Cambridge (BA, PhD)
Known for	ARM architecture, SpiNNaker
Awards	Fellow of the Royal Society, FREng, CBE

Steve Furber. He is a pioneering British computer scientist and engineer renowned for his foundational work in microprocessor design and neuromorphic engineering. His career spans pivotal roles in industry and academia, most notably at Acorn Computers and the University of Manchester. Furber is best known as a principal designer of the ARM architecture, which powers billions of devices worldwide, and for leading the ambitious SpiNNaker project, a supercomputer designed to model the human brain.

Early life and education

Born in Manchester, he demonstrated an early aptitude for mathematics and technology. He pursued his higher education at the University of Cambridge, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics. He continued at Cambridge for his doctoral studies, completing a PhD in the Cambridge University Computer Laboratory, focusing on asynchronous circuit design under the supervision of Professor David Wheeler. This formative period in the late 1970s provided a deep grounding in computer architecture that would define his future work.

Career and research

After completing his doctorate, he joined the microprocessor design team at Acorn Computers in Cambridge. There, he collaborated closely with Sophie Wilson and others on the development of the BBC Micro, a highly successful home computer in the United Kingdom. His research interests have consistently centered on low-power computing, reliable system design, and the intersection of biology and computation. In 1990, he moved to the University of Manchester as the ICL Professor of Computer Engineering, where he established a leading research group and continued to advance his work on innovative computing architectures.

ARM architecture

In the early 1980s, Acorn Computers sought a new CPU for its next-generation computers. He and colleague Sophie Wilson led the design of a novel RISC processor, which became the Acorn RISC Machine, later renamed the ARM architecture. The first chip, the ARM1, was fabricated by VLSI Technology and proved remarkably efficient. This design philosophy of simplicity and low power consumption led to the formation of the joint venture ARM Holdings, which licensed the technology. The ARM architecture now dominates the mobile device and embedded system markets, found in products from companies like Apple, Samsung, and Qualcomm.

SpiNNaker project

In the 2000s, his research focus shifted dramatically toward brain simulation. He conceived and led the SpiNNaker (Spiking Neural Network Architecture) project, a massive undertaking funded by the EPSRC and the European Union. The goal was to build a supercomputer composed of over a million ARM processor cores interconnected to model up to a billion neurons in real time, mimicking the brain's parallel, event-driven communication. This pioneering work in neuromorphic computing has applications in neuroscience, robotics, and understanding neurological disorders, positioning it as a key platform for the Human Brain Project.

Awards and honours

His contributions have been recognized with numerous prestigious awards. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2002 and a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering. He was appointed a CBE in the 2008 Birthday Honours for services to computer science. Further accolades include the Royal Academy of Engineering's Silver Medal, the IEEE Computer Society Computer Pioneer Award, and the Mountbatten Medal from the Institution of Engineering and Technology. He has also received honorary doctorates from several universities, including the University of York.

Personal life

He maintains a relatively private life centered around his family and academic pursuits in Manchester. He is known to be an avid musician, with a particular interest in playing the pipe organ, an activity he enjoys alongside his scientific work. His commitment to education is evidenced through his long-standing professorship and mentorship of numerous PhD students at the University of Manchester, where he continues to guide future generations of computer engineers and researchers.

Category:British computer scientists Category:1953 births Category:Living people Category:Fellows of the Royal Society Category:University of Manchester faculty