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Software & Hardware Systems

Our researchers are driving innovation across the entire hardware, software and network stack to make computer systems more reliable, efficient and secure. 

From internet-scale networks, to next-generation chip designs, to deep learning frameworks and more, we build and refine the devices and applications that individuals, industries and, indeed, entire economies depend upon every day.


Research Groups & Labs

Closeup of silicon chip technology

Bespoke Silicon Group

The Bespoke Silicon Group aims to bring hardware design to its highest art and rapidly conceive of, design and implement entirely new kinds of hardware faster than has ever been done before.

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Quantum Group

The Quantum Group does research on a variety of topics in quantum information and computation (primarily on the theory side), including quantum complexity theory, error-correction, cryptography, algorithms, and learning.


Faculty Members

Faculty

Faculty


Centers & Initiatives

The UW Center for the Future of Cloud Infrastructure (FOCI) aims to foster a tight partnership between practitioners and researchers in both industry and academia to define the next generation of cloud infrastructure to achieve new levels of security, reliability, performance along with cost-efficiency and environmental sustainability.

The NSF AI Institute for Agent-based Cyber Threat Intelligence and Operation (ACTION) seeks to change the way mission-critical systems are protected against sophisticated, ever-changing security threats. In cooperation with (and learning from) security operations experts, intelligent agents will use complex knowledge representation, logic reasoning, and learning to identify flaws, detect attacks, perform attribution, and respond to breaches in a timely and scalable fashion.

Highlights


Allen School News

As part of this year’s cohort in the Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher Awards, the Computing Research Association (CRA) recognized four Allen School undergraduates — awardee Haoquan Fang, finalist Hao Xu and honorable mention recipients Kaiyuan Liu and Lindsey Wei.

UW News

Iyer, co-director of the interdisciplinary CS for the Environment Initiative, was recognized among the 2026 class of fellows for his early-career efforts to address sustainability challenges — from recyclable electronics, to battery-free robotics, to AI-optimized hardware design.

Allen School News

The fellowship will support Zhang’s work in sustainable ubiquitous computing, including the development of recyclable electronics and leveraging artificial intelligence to estimate carbon footprints and provide personalized health insights.