Burton Smith
Encyclopedia
Burton J. Smith is a computer architect
. He is currently a Technical Fellow at Microsoft
.
in 1967. He then attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
, earning an Sc.D. in 1972.
and the University of Colorado
. Smith then spent six years at Denelcor Inc. in Colorado
, serving as vice president of research and development. He was the primary architect of the Denelcor Heterogeneous Element Processor
(HEP). From 1985 to 1988, Smith was a fellow of the Institute for Defense Analyses
Supercomputing Research Center.
Smith co-founded Tera Computer Company
and from 1988 until 2005 he served as its chief scientist and a member of the board of directors. He was also the company's chairman from 1988 until 1999.
In December, 2005, Smith was hired by Microsoft
as a Technical Fellow, working with various groups within the company to define and expand efforts in the areas of parallel and high-performance computing.
from the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) and the Association for Computing Machinery
. In 2003, he received the Seymour Cray Computer Science and Engineering Award from the IEEE Computer Society and was elected to the National Academy of Engineering
. He was elected fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
in 2010.
Computer architecture
In computer science and engineering, computer architecture is the practical art of selecting and interconnecting hardware components to create computers that meet functional, performance and cost goals and the formal modelling of those systems....
. He is currently a Technical Fellow at Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
.
Education
Smith earned a B.S.E.E. degree from the University of New MexicoUniversity of New Mexico
The University of New Mexico at Albuquerque is a public research university located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the United States. It is the state's flagship research institution...
in 1967. He then attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
, earning an Sc.D. in 1972.
Career
From 1970 to 1979, he taught at the Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyMassachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
and the University of Colorado
University of Colorado
The University of Colorado system is a system of public universities in Colorado consisting of three universities in four campuses: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, and University of Colorado Denver in downtown Denver and at the Anschutz Medical Campus in...
. Smith then spent six years at Denelcor Inc. in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, serving as vice president of research and development. He was the primary architect of the Denelcor Heterogeneous Element Processor
Heterogeneous Element Processor
The Heterogeneous Element Processor was introduced by Denelcor in 1982 as the world's first commercial MIMD computer. A HEP system, as the name implies, was pieced together from many heterogeneous components -- processors, data memory modules, and I/O modules...
(HEP). From 1985 to 1988, Smith was a fellow of the Institute for Defense Analyses
Institute for Defense Analyses
The Institute for Defense Analyses is a non-profit corporation that administers three federally funded research and development centers to assist the United States government in addressing important national security issues, particularly those requiring scientific and technical expertise...
Supercomputing Research Center.
Smith co-founded Tera Computer Company
Tera Computer Company
The Tera Computer Company was a manufacturer of high-performance computing software and hardware, founded in 1987 in Washington, D.C. and moved 1988 to Seattle, Washington by James Rottsolk and Burton Smith. The company's first supercomputer product, named MTA, featured interleaved multi-threading,...
and from 1988 until 2005 he served as its chief scientist and a member of the board of directors. He was also the company's chairman from 1988 until 1999.
In December, 2005, Smith was hired by Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
as a Technical Fellow, working with various groups within the company to define and expand efforts in the areas of parallel and high-performance computing.
Awards
Smith received the 1991 Eckert-Mauchly AwardEckert-Mauchly Award
The Eckert–Mauchly Award recognizes contributions to digital systems and computer architecture. First awarded in 1979, it was named for John Presper Eckert and John William Mauchly, who between 1943 and 1946 collaborated on the design and construction of the first large scale electronic computing...
from the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) and the Association for Computing Machinery
Association for Computing Machinery
The Association for Computing Machinery is a learned society for computing. It was founded in 1947 as the world's first scientific and educational computing society. Its membership is more than 92,000 as of 2009...
. In 2003, he received the Seymour Cray Computer Science and Engineering Award from the IEEE Computer Society and was elected to the National Academy of Engineering
National Academy of Engineering
The National Academy of Engineering is a government-created non-profit institution in the United States, that was founded in 1964 under the same congressional act that led to the founding of the National Academy of Sciences...
. He was elected fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
in 2010.