Computing systems hardware and software
Illinois ECE faculty are doing work that emphasizes systems, within both hardware and software. This includes work in the areas of algorithms and computational complexity, compilers, computer-aided design, computer architecture, databases, embedded, real-time, hybrid systems, hardware verification and testing, logic design and VLSI, operating systems, parallel processing, and programming languages. In all these areas, the focus is on how all parts of computers work together to solve many different kinds of problems.
Current research projects in computing systems hardware and software include automatic assertion generation, analysis, synthesis, and programming techniques which can help the creation of bug-free systems, and single-ISA heterogeneous multi-core architecture and conjoined-core architectures.
View a selection of recent highlights featuring accomplishments by faculty and students in this area.
Research Topics in this Area
- Algorithms and computational complexity
- Compilers
- Computer aided design
- Computer architecture
- Databases
- Embedded, real-time, and hybrid systems
- Hardware verification and testing
- Logic design and VLSI
- Operating systems
- Parallel processing
- Programming languages
- System modeling and measurement
ECE Professor Deming Chen named ACM Fellow
- ECE News
- January 23, 2026
Two ECE Engineers honored with Best Artifact Award at top conference
- ECE News
- November 24, 2025
Nam Sung Kim earns multiple awards for papers, reviews
- ECE News
- September 10, 2025
Related Courses
| Number | Title | Prerequisites | Web Site |
|---|---|---|---|
| ECE 508 | Manycore Parallel Algorithms | Credit in CS 420 or ECE 408 | |
| ECE 511 | Computer Architecture | Credit in CS 433 or ECE 411 | |
| ECE 512 | Computer Microarchitecture | Credit in ECE 511 Credit in CS 426 |
|
| ECE 584 | Embedded System Verification | Website |