At that time, the youth aspired to be virtuous and far-reaching.
-- Dr. Liao Heng's Interpretation of Processors in 2021 in the Turing Lecture
On the afternoon of April 16th, Dr. Liao Heng, a Huawei Fellow, Chief Scientist of Huawei's 2012 Lab, and Chief Scientist of HiSilicon, gave a fascinating lecture titled Processors in 2021 at the Turing Classroom of Zhejiang University for the students of the Turing and Hybrid Classes. Pang Yunguang, Director of Huawei's Hangzhou Research Institute, Zhu Qingxun, Deputy Director of the Institute, and Gu Qian, Head of Recruitment, as well as Chen Wei, Vice Dean of the School of Computer Science at Zhejiang University, and Wu Yingcai were in attendance, while Shan Juehui, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of the School of Computer Science at Zhejiang University, moderated the lecture.
First, Professor Chen Wei, Vice Dean of the School of Computer Science, gave a speech to introduce the advantages and disadvantages of China's information software and hardware industry, emphasizing the urgent need to address the weak links in scientific research. He called for universities to strengthen their cooperation with enterprises in industry-academia-research, and to cultivate top talents in key areas for the country.
Subsequently, Dr. Liao brought a brilliant report to everyone. He first recounted the important nodes and inventors in the history of processor development, inspiring everyone's imagination and research enthusiasm for future development. He then introduced the system through the processor types corresponding to mainstream computing modes, including the latest AI chips. In the face of new computing modes in the future, Dr. Liao elaborated on the direction of innovation and architectural thinking from the perspectives of new computing systems, new memory, and 3DIC technology.
Dr. Liao pointed out in the report that China's information industry is in a special historical period, facing enormous difficulties and a strong sense of crisis. However, we must believe that the Chinese people will always find their own way, although there may be detours, it will definitely be more colorful. Dr. Liao introduced the three types of processors (CPU, GPU, NPU) under the current mainstream computing mode and analyzed the reasons for developing different types of processor architectures.
Later, Dr. Liao explained the difficulties faced in the evolution of computer architecture, such as the difficulty of heterogeneous processor underlying changes, the high threshold of cluster parallel processing, and the difficulty in building product competitiveness. Based on his professional experience, he provided a clear and concise macro analysis of the above problems and explained the innovative points in chips, applications, and memory. Dr. Liao's in-depth and accessible explanations enabled the students to deeply understand the thinking of senior engineers in the field of processors and the evolution of processor architecture. The atmosphere at the lecture was harmonious. In the interactive communication session, the students were highly interested and asked questions actively, and Dr. Liao patiently answered their doubts in research and learning with a unique perspective.
Finally, on behalf of the School of Computer Science at Zhejiang University, Dean Chen Wei presented Dr. Liao Heng with a certificate to express the most sincere gratitude to him.