Nam Sung Kim has recently been honored both by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and by Intel.
Kim’s work, "Unleashing the Potential of PIM: Accelerating Large Batched Inference of Transformer-Based Generative Models," was selected as one of the "Best of CAL" papers of 2023. In the paper, Kim proposed a technological solution to reduce bandwidth used by generative AI models, such as ChatGPT, using AttAcc. The work exploited the capability of a processing-in-memory (PIM) technology that Kim developed at Samsung, and demonstrated a usage case for PIM, i.e., acceleration of large language models (LLMs).
Kim says, “Showing the potential of PIM for such a popular application reinvigorated the interest in PIM from the industry and will accelerate the adoption of the technology for commercial applications. I am glad that the award committee recognized such an impact!”
The award was presented during the main program of the IEEE International Symposium on High-Performance Computer Architecture (HPCA) conference, which was held in Edinburgh, Scotland, on March 2-6. HPCA is considered the premier forum for research in computer architecture.
Kim also received a second honor this spring, receiving an Intel 2023 Outstanding Researcher Award for “Rethinking Communication Infrastructure for Edge and Cloud Applications.”
According to an Intel press release:
"Prof. Kim and his team of researchers have been conducting advanced system innovations that promote new technologies on Intel architecture platforms to enhance various data center workloads, including AI, machine learning (ML), and key-value store to optimize data center operations. In this project, his team has been instrumental in developing several cutting-edge technologies using Intel processors and field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) that showcased the feasibility and improvements of new processor and platform features for future data center architecture. The project had a great impact on the associated academic research directions and produced multiple top conference publications and technology available to the community."
There are only 15 winners of Intel’s 2023 Outstanding Researcher Award from all the universities across the world. According to Intel, “The annual award program recognizes the exceptional contributions made through Intel university-sponsored research that help further Intel’s mission of creating world-changing technology that improves the lives of everyone on the planet.”
Kim is the W.J. ‘Jerry’ Sanders III – Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. Endowed Chair in Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign. He also is a researcher in the Coordinated Science Lab at UIUC.