Ian Khan
Global Top 30 Futurist | Creator, AI-IQ™ & Future Readiness Score™ | Thinkers50 Distinguished Achiever | USA Today Bestselling Author | Amazon Prime Host
David Patterson
ACM Turing Award Laureate | Pioneer of RISC & RAID | Distinguished Engineer, Google DeepMind | Pardee Professor Emeritus, UC Berkeley
The architect of modern computing, David Patterson invented RISC — the design behind 99% of all chips made today — and co-invented RAID storage, earning the 2017 Turing Award (the Nobel Prize of Computing) and the 2022 Draper Prize. Now a Distinguished Engineer at Google DeepMind and Chairman of the Laude Institute, he speaks with unique authority on AI hardware, the next era of computing, and fifty years of lessons from the frontier.
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David Patterson biography
David Patterson is one of the most decorated and consequential figures in the history of computing — a Turing Award laureate whose foundational inventions underpin virtually every processor, storage system, and AI accelerator in use today. As Pardee Professor of Computer Science, Emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley, and Distinguished Engineer at Google DeepMind, Patterson has spent five decades at the intersection of rigorous academic research and transformative industrial impact.
Technology speaker David Patterson is perhaps best known for coining the term RISC — Reduced Instruction Set Computing — and leading the Berkeley RISC project that proved a simplified instruction set could outperform the dominant complex-instruction architectures of the era. Today, 99% of all new chips ship with a RISC architecture, powering every smartphone, tablet, and IoT device on the planet. Alongside RISC, Patterson led the Berkeley research that defined RAID — Redundant Arrays of Inexpensive Disks — the storage architecture that became the backbone of modern data centers and web infrastructure worldwide.
His collaboration with Stanford’s John Hennessy produced Computer Architecture: A Quantitative Approach — now in its seventh edition (2026) — the definitive textbook of the field, studied by generations of engineers across every major technology company. That partnership earned both men the 2017 ACM A.M. Turing Award, often called the Nobel Prize of Computing, for their systematic, quantitative approach to computer architecture design. They subsequently shared the 2021 BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award and the 2022 NAE Charles Stark Draper Prize for Engineering — considered the Nobel Prize of Engineering — for contributions to the invention and implementation of RISC chips.
From Architecture to AI: Patterson’s Next Chapter
Patterson’s impact extends powerfully into the AI era. At Google, he co-led research on the Tensor Processing Unit (TPU), the domain-specific hardware accelerator that became the backbone of Google’s AI infrastructure — including the systems that power large language models at scale. His work on domain-specific architectures articulates the core argument of the next wave of computing: that general-purpose processors can no longer keep pace with AI workloads, and that purpose-built hardware represents the path to continued performance gains. In 2025, Patterson became Chairman of the Board at the Laude Institute, a $100M AI research organization founded to bridge the gap between frontier research and real-world impact, alongside Google DeepMind Chief Scientist Jeff Dean and former Meta AI Research head Joelle Pineau. He also remains an active voice on technology policy, publishing in Communications of the ACM and The Hill on the critical importance of government-funded academic computer science research.
As a speaker, David Patterson brings the authority of someone who has built the infrastructure of the modern world — and who understands where it is heading next. His keynotes on the new golden age of computer architecture, the AI hardware revolution, and the lessons of fifty years at the frontier of computing resonate deeply with technology executives, engineering leaders, and innovation-focused audiences. He translates decades of breakthrough research into clear, forward-looking frameworks for what comes next in AI, chips, and computing at scale.
David Patterson Speaking Videos
Dave Patterson - New Golden Age for Computer Architectures
John Hennessy and David Patterson 2017 ACM A.M. Turing Award Lecture
David Patterson Keynote Topics
For decades, Moore's Law drove predictable performance gains and allowed software to improve simply by waiting for the next chip generation. That era is over — but a new one is beginning. In this landmark talk, Patterson argues that domain-specific architectures, open instruction sets like RISC-V, and purpose-built AI accelerators are ushering in a new golden age of computing, one driven not by transistor density but by intelligent co-design of hardware and software. Drawing on fifty years at the frontier — from RISC-I to the TPU — he gives technology leaders a clear-eyed framework for where the next decade of computing performance will come from and what it means for AI, cloud, and enterprise infrastructure.
The explosive demands of modern AI workloads have exposed the fundamental limits of general-purpose processors. In this talk, Patterson explains why the future of AI performance lies in purpose-built hardware — tensor processing units, neural network accelerators, and memory-centric architectures — and what this shift means for organizations building or deploying AI at scale. He draws on his direct experience leading TPU research at Google to explain how hardware and AI model design must now co-evolve, and what executives and technology leaders need to understand about the infrastructure decisions that will define competitive advantage in the AI era.
For most of computing history, the instruction sets at the heart of processors have been proprietary — controlled by Intel, ARM, or a handful of other companies. RISC-V, the open-source instruction set architecture that Patterson helped pioneer, is changing that. In this talk, he explains what RISC-V is, why it matters, and how an open architecture enables a new wave of innovation in chips for AI, IoT, and edge computing. He connects the technical argument to a broader strategic one: in a world of geopolitical technology competition and supply chain fragility, open hardware infrastructure represents a fundamental shift in where computing power comes from and who controls it.
From RISC and RAID to the TPU and RISC-V, Patterson's career spans the entire arc of the modern computing industry. In this reflective and forward-looking keynote, he distills the principles that have made breakthrough research possible: the importance of asking the right questions, building interdisciplinary teams, insisting on quantitative evidence, and having the courage to challenge prevailing wisdom. This talk is as relevant for executives navigating AI transformation as it is for engineers and researchers — a master class in turning academic insight into technology that shapes the world.
Speaker topics
FAQs on Booking David Patterson
Why David Patterson?
Booking David Patterson means bringing to your stage one of the handful of people who literally architected the modern computing world. As the inventor of RISC — the design philosophy behind 99% of all chips made today — and co-inventor of RAID storage, Patterson's work touches every smartphone, data center, and AI system on the planet. His 2017 Turing Award (the Nobel Prize of Computing), 2022 Draper Prize (the Nobel Prize of Engineering), and ongoing role as Distinguished Engineer at Google DeepMind and Chairman of the Laude Institute give him unmatched credibility to speak on where computing, AI hardware, and technology infrastructure are heading next. For technology conferences, engineering summits, and innovation events, Patterson is a rare combination of historic achievement and current relevance. Reach out to Aurum Speakers Bureau for availability and a personalized proposal.
What is the ACM Turing Award and why did David Patterson receive it?
The ACM A.M. Turing Award is the highest honor in computer science, widely considered the equivalent of the Nobel Prize for computing. It carries a $1 million prize supported by Google. Patterson received the 2017 Turing Award jointly with John Hennessy of Stanford for pioneering a systematic, quantitative approach to designing and evaluating computer architectures — work that gave rise to RISC processors, which now account for 99% of all microprocessors produced globally, from the chips in smartphones and tablets to the processors powering cloud computing and AI infrastructure.
What is RISC and why does it matter?
RISC — Reduced Instruction Set Computing — is a processor design philosophy that Patterson and his Berkeley team developed and proved in the early 1980s. By simplifying the instruction set that a chip must execute, RISC processors became faster, more energy-efficient, and cheaper to manufacture than the complex-instruction designs that dominated at the time. The approach was controversial when proposed; today it is universal. ARM, the architecture inside virtually every smartphone on earth, is a direct descendant of RISC principles. So are the processors in Apple's M-series chips, Amazon's Graviton, and virtually every AI accelerator in production.
What topics does technology speaker David Patterson cover in his keynotes?
Technology speaker David Patterson covers the new golden age of computer architecture, the AI hardware revolution and domain-specific accelerators, the history and future of RISC and RAID, the role of government-funded academic research in driving innovation, and the societal implications of AI at scale. His talks are especially relevant for technology and engineering conferences, AI infrastructure summits, and events where senior audiences need a credible, long-horizon perspective on where computing is heading. Contact Aurum Speakers Bureau for full topic details and to check his availability.
How to book David Patterson as a keynote speaker?
Aurum Speakers Bureau can help you book David Patterson as a speaker for your next event, conference, or board meeting. Simply fill out our contact form to inquire about David Patterson's availability for a speaking engagement. One of our booking agents will respond to your request immediately and contact the speaker to let them know you want to hire them. We will assist you with obtaining speaking fees, booking information, and confirming availability for David Patterson or any other top keynote speaker or celebrity of your choice.
How much is David Patterson speaking fee?
David Patterson speaking fees are determined by several factors, including the event's date, whether it's a virtual or in-person event, the duration, format, preparation required for their speech, and more. The same applies to the cost to hire any other top expert speakers and celebrities. The Speaker Fee Range listed on our website is simply a guideline and is subject to change without notice. If you would like to hire David Patterson to deliver a keynote speech for your event, please fill out the contact form or email us at info@aurumbureau.com with as much detail as possible. One of our experienced agents will get in touch with you and let you know exactly how much it will cost to book David Patterson.
How can I contact David Patterson?
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Can I book David Patterson for a virtual keynote?
Yes, David Patterson is available for virtual keynotes and webinars. To book David Patterson for a virtual event, please complete the contact form or send us an email to inquire about the special fees for virtual engagements.
