Kerim Kalafala is a member of the IBM Academy of Technology, a senior technical staff member in the IBM Systems Group, and an IBM Master Inventor. Currently, he is lead AI architect of EDA Analysis tools used to design and verify the world’s most advanced fastest microprocessors. Kerim has received multiple prestigious Research Division awards for publications in computer science and mathematics, an ACM/IEEE Technical Impact Award in Electronic Design Automation, and a best-paper award at the Design Automation Conference and was recognized for coauthoring a top-10 most-cited paper in the 50-year history of DAC. Kerim has also received two IBM Corporate Awards and an Outstanding Technical Achievement Awards for contributions to the field of data analytics for EDA and statistical timing analysis. He is an inventor with 80 issued patents worldwide and approximately a dozen more pending. Kerim is a member of the executive board for the Rhinebeck Science Foundation and volunteers extensively in his local community. Kerim holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in computer and systems engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where he graduated with summa cum laude honors.

Kenneth Larsen, a product management director for the Synopsys EDA Group, has a strong background in defining and executing product vision and marketing strategy, inspiring product development teams, translating technology concepts into customer solutions, developing high-performance global organizations, conceiving and driving new and emerging products to scale from the ground up, guiding marketing, and enabling sales. Kenneth has a degree in electrical engineering, plus completed coursework in strategic growth at Columbia University and in AI at the MIT Sloan School of Management.

Yu-Hao Tsai is the manager of Computational Process Innovation team (CPI) of the Etch System in TEL Technology Center America (TTCA). The CPI team focuses on the fundamental study of semiconductor processes using the computational methodologies such as quantum chemical calculations, molecular dynamics, a variety of plasma and profile simulations, etc. The scope covers works from the problem solving of current process to future product pathfinding. Working with engineers/scientist from a variety of focuses, he participated in a spectrum of research topics including the high aspect ratio etch (HAR) for memory, self-alignment contact (SAC) for logic, wafter-bonding for integration, etc. Yu-Hao has a PhD in the Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. Graduated in 2017, he joined TTCA since then.