The Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES), a member of The
Texas A&M University System, announced the creation of the new Hewlett
Packard Enterprise Center for Computer Architecture Research, made
possible with a donation from Hewlett
Packard Enterprise (NYSE:HPE). R. Stanley Williams, former HPE
Senior Fellow and nanotechnology pioneer, will lead the TEES HPE Center,
as well as serve as the Hewlett Packard Enterprise Chair professor in
the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Texas A&M
University.
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The ongoing rise of big data and the development of powerful analytical
techniques that can efficiently evaluate the data will dramatically
transform the way we live and work. Unlocking the value of this data
will require computer architectures that are flexible and not bound by
traditional designs.
The center’s mission is to lead the way into this new world of
data-driven computing architectures through academic-industry
collaboration.
HPE donated research equipment valued at $10.5 million. HPE also funded
a $1 million endowed chair position which Texas A&M will match with a
$500,000 contribution. These gifts will establish a leading-edge
research capability and partnership with TEES dedicated to the study of
advanced materials and photonics for innovative computer architectures.
“This is an extremely significant gift of equipment and the hiring of
Stan Williams places us at the forefront of next generation discovery in
computation, non-linear dynamical electronics and materials,” said Texas
A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp. “There is no other
cleanroom in the state of Texas that has all five of the high-end
instruments HPE is donating, and we plan to become a regional hub for
next-generation nano- and micro-engineering. We owe tremendous
appreciation to HPE CTO Mark Potter, whose vision for leveraging our
joint assets will build a world class laboratory and attract preeminent
talent in the broad area of materials.”
Initially, the center will focus on advanced materials fabrication and
characterization, future electronic devices, advanced photonics and
novel computer architectures. Research will aim to achieve results that
both expand knowledge and motivate the next generation of computer
scientists and architects for the benefit of society.
“Looking ahead, the ability to make sense of the massive amounts of data
generated in academic, public and private sector settings will change
not only how we do business, but also how we live,” said Mark Potter,
CTO, HPE, Director, Hewlett Packard Labs. “Our success at evaluating the
world around us and making breakthroughs we never thought possible
hinges on our ability to apply technology.”
“Texas A&M University has great traditions coupled with visionary
leadership,” said Stan Williams, TEES Hewlett Packard Enterprise Center
for Computer Architecture Research Director and Hewlett Packard
Enterprise Company Chair Professor. “There are already world-class
faculty in place who are contributing to the advancement of neuromorphic
materials and new computing paradigms. The students who come here are
inspired by generations of successful Aggie alumni and expect to work
hard. This is the ideal environment to do something completely new in
computing, untethered from legacy notions, and I am excited by the
opportunities that I see.”
The center occupies 25,000 square feet of space in the Giesecke
Engineering Research Building (GERB). TEES also has contributed
approximately $2 million for renovations to GERB to support the new
equipment and will hire three faculty in this area.
Among the equipment donated is a Clustex, used to deposit material
layers on a wafer, a Titan Cubed Themis TEM Microscope, Helios SEM/FIB
dual beam system, an ASM Atomic Layer Deposition tool, and a NanoLab
460F1 electron microscope.
“Researchers can now develop next-generation computer chips for more
powerful but energy-efficient computing, integrated photonic devices and
microsensors for biosensing/medical applications or better autonomous
vehicles, or flexible electronic devices and micro/nanofluidic systems
for continuous health monitoring or point of care diagnosis in remote
settings,” said Dr. Arum Han, director of the AggieFab Nanofabrication
Facility at Texas A&M and professor in the department of electrical and
computer engineering.
“It typically takes three to four years of intensive effort and
institutional support to acquire even one instrument that HPE just
donated,” explains Han. “Having five such high-end instruments coming to
our cleanroom facility simultaneously is just absolutely amazing and is
unheard of for any university cleanroom.”
About the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station
As an engineering research agency of Texas, TEES performs quality
research driven by world problems; strengthens and expands the state’s
workforce through educational partnerships and training; and develops
and transfers technology to industry. TEES collaborates with academic
institutions, governmental agencies, industries and communities to solve
problems to help improve the quality of life, promote economic
development and enhance educational systems. TEES, a member of The Texas
A&M University System has been engineering solutions for more than 100
years.
About the Texas A&M University College of Engineering
With more than 600 tenured/tenure-track faculty members and more than
20,000 students, the Texas A&M University College of Engineering is the
largest engineering school in the country. The college is ranked seventh
in graduate studies, eighth in undergraduate programs, and second in
research expenditures among public institutions as ranked by U.S. News &
World Report, with seven of the college’s 14 departments ranked in the
Top 10.
About Hewlett-Packard Enterprise
Hewlett Packard Enterprise is a global technology leader focused on
developing intelligent solutions that allow customers to capture,
analyze and act upon data seamlessly from edge to cloud. HPE enables
customers to accelerate business outcomes by driving new business
models, creating new customer and employee experiences, and increasing
operational efficiency today and into the future.
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