Gurindar (Guri) Sohi, a prominent computer architect at UW–Madison, has been named a 2025 Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI), honoring his transformative innovations that have shaped modern technology and society. Sohi is a professor in the Computer Sciences Department at UW–Madison. His work has changed modern computing and helped make the university a leader in computer architecture research.
A Transformative Legacy in Computer Architecture
For over forty years, Sohi’s research has shaped how almost every modern microprocessor works. These processors are the central unit in computers and other devices. His work on out-of-order execution allows instructions to be processed as resources become available, rather than only in order. He advanced non-blocking caches, which are memory systems that handle multiple requests at once. He invented multiscalar processors, that use multiple instruction streams to perform the parallel execution of a sequential program.
These innovations have transformed how computer systems achieve high performance and efficiency, supporting the speed, responsiveness, and reliability users expect from devices such as smartphones, tablets, laptops, desktops, and the servers that drive the global internet.
The impact of Sohi’s research extends beyond academia. His ideas quickly became widely used in industry and in the innovation ecosystem. For example, his 1987 paper on instruction-issue logic was cited in more than 150 U.S. patents and became a key reference for processor designers. His patented “Table Based Data Speculation Circuit for Parallel Processing Computer” is a technology that facilitates the out-of-order processing of memory operations, thereby increasing the performance of processor chips in executing sequential programs. Intel licensed this patent, and it has powered several generations of microprocessors built by leading companies and is used in billions of devices worldwide.
Mentorship, Leadership, and a Culture of Innovation
Sohi is also known for mentoring the next generation of computing innovators. Most of his patents have his graduate students as co-inventors, showing his belief that invention is a team effort and an important part of graduate education. “I am deeply grateful for this recognition,” Sohi says. “Innovation is always a collective effort—driven by students, colleagues, and a research climate at UW–Madison that encourages bold thinking and sifting and winnowing. Seeing our ideas contribute to global technologies is both humbling and rewarding.”
Sohi’s leadership goes beyond the lab. As a former chair of the Department of Computer Sciences, he facilitated connections between department faculty and major technology companies.
He has received some of the top honors in computing. These include being elected to the National Academy of Engineering, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and now, the NAI. Other major awards include the 2011 Eckert-Mauchly Award and the 2025 IEEE Computer Pioneer Award in Honor of the Women of ENIAC. He has also received several UW–Madison awards, including a Vilas Research Professorship, a WARF Named Professorship, a Kellett Mid-Career Faculty Award, and a Hilldale Award.
Innovation with Broad Societal Impact
Sohi’s work has led to 16 U.S. patents. Of these, 11 are licensed or optioned. He holds 11 international patents. These inventions have helped Wisconsin’s innovation economy. They have also helped make the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) a leader in bringing new computational technologies to market.
Dr. Sohi’s election to the NAI highlights his major scientific achievements and the lasting impact he has had on students, industry, the Wisconsin economy, and global computing. “This recognition is well deserved,” says Erik Iverson, CEO of WARF. “WARF has been stewarding academic inventions for a century, and no single individual better embodies the spirit of academic innovation than Guri Sohi. His work advances science, drives innovation, and has improved all of our lives.”
Read more: https://news.wisc.edu/uw-faculty-members-named-national-academy-of-inventors-fellows/