Systems Seminar: Prof. Michael Flynn, Electrical Engineering Department, Stanford University

Reflections Down the Line

Abstract

This talk is a personal retrospective on machines, concepts and advances in computer architecture. This leads to some speculations on future developments in the field. I'll also consider possible future technologies and their likely impact.

Speaker Bio

Michael Flynn received his Ph.D. from Purdue University in 1961. He joined IBM in 1955 and for ten years worked in the areas of computer organization and design. He was design manager of prototype versions of the IBM 7090 and 7094/II, and later for the System 360 Model 91 Central Processing Unit. Between 1966 and 1974 Prof. Flynn was a faculty member of Northwestern University and the Johns Hopkins University. In 1975 he became Professor of Electrical Engineering at Stanford University, and was Director of the Computer Systems Laboratory from 1977 to 1983. He was founding chairman of both the ACM Special Interest Group on Computer Architecture and the IEEE Computer Society's Technical Committee on Computer Architecture. Prof. Flynn was the 1992 recipient of the ACM/IEEE Eckert-Mauchley Award for his technical contributions to computer and digital systems architecture. He was the 1995 recipient of the IEEE-CS Harry Goode Memorial Award in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the design and classification of computer architecture. In 1998 he received the Tesla Medal from the International Tesla Society (Belgrade), and an honorary Doctor of Science from Trinity College (University of Dublin), Ireland. He is the author of three books and over 250 technical papers.