“The key idea which drove the success of the processors based on our work is that simpler is more efficient”

Awarded the 13th BBVA Frontiers of Knowledge Award in ICT, John Hennessy reviews his contribution to modern computer architecture through the RISC approach. He explains how instruction simplification enabled the design of faster and more efficient processors, the foundation of much of today’s computing. His reflections offer insights into the collaboration between academia and industry and the role of innovation in technological advancement.

The BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Information and Communication Technologies has gone in this thirteenth edition to John L. Hennessy (Stanford University) and David A. Patterson (University of California, Berkeley) for taking computer architecture, the discipline behind the central processor or “brain” of every computer system, and launching it as a new scientific area.