Prof. Zhangxi TAN is a distinguished computer scientist and entrepreneur with expertise in computer architecture, microprocessor design, and RISC-V technology. He earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Electronic Engineering and Computer Science from Tsinghua University, followed by a PhD in Computer Science from UC Berkeley under the supervision of 2017 Turing Award winner David Patterson.

Academic Background

Prof. TAN’s academic journey spans prestigious institutions across China and the United States. At UC Berkeley (2005-2013), he was directly involved in the development and promotion of RISC-V technology, completing his doctoral thesis on “Using FPGAs to Simulate Novel Data Center Network Architectures at Scale.” He subsequently served as a Postdoc Researcher in the renowned ASPIRE lab.

Professional Experience

Currently serving as an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Tsinghua-Berkeley Shenzhen Institute, Prof. TAN co-directs the RISC-V International Open-Source Laboratory (RIOS). He is also the Founder and CEO of OURS Technology Inc., a venture capital-backed Silicon Valley startup focused on energy-efficient microprocessor designs using open RISC-V instruction sets and silicon photonics for autonomous vehicles and IoT applications.

His industry experience includes a pivotal role as a founding engineer at Pure Storage (NYSE: PSTG), where he served as the lead designer of Flash Blade™. This innovative product earned the 2017 AIconics Best Innovation award in AI Hardware at the AI Summit in San Francisco, with notable customers including Tesla, Mercedes F1 racing team, and Riot Games.

Leadership and Impact

Prof. TAN leads a diverse team of highly motivated multinational engineers, primarily comprising UC Berkeley PhD graduates and industry chip design veterans. Under his leadership, OURS Technology has successfully taped out multiple chips within the first year of funding and has emerged as a leading company in promoting RISC-V technology in China.

His work continues to bridge academic research and industrial innovation, particularly in the areas of computer architecture, energy-efficient computing, and open-source hardware development.