Fall 2026

CS 598: Hardware and Software for AI

About this course

This advanced course explores the cutting-edge intersection of hardware and software system design for AI, focusing on architectures ranging from data center GPUs and custom accelerators to personalized AI devices. Students will analyze recent academic and industry papers, learn how to program these diverse systems, and engage with leading researchers via guest lectures. The course culminates in a hands-on research project where students will design and implement a novel solution for a real-world AI system challenge.

Course Format

Paper Discussions

We will discuss the latest papers through three rotating groups: the presenter group, the advocate group, and the critic group, so each paper is unpacked from multiple perspectives.

Guest Lectures

Tentative guest talks are planned from leading researchers from industry, including NVIDIA, Google, Intel, AMD, Gimlet Labs, and Cerebras Systems, to connect the course material with current industry practice.

Semester-Long Research Project

The course includes a research project that runs through the semester, giving students space to design, implement, and evaluate a novel AI systems idea.

Immediate TODOs

  • Sign up for your presentation group and roles using the presentation signup sheet . You should be able to access and edit this sheet if you are signed in with your Illinois account.
    • First, sign up for a group in the group signup tab. Once your group number is assigned, use that group number to sign up for paper discussions.
    • Each group should sign up exactly once for each role across the semester: presenter, advocate, and critic.
    • Each group should sign up for three different papers in three different roles. For example, if your group signs up for Paper 1 as the presenter group, it should not also sign up for Paper 1 as the advocate or critic group.
    • Presenter groups should also identify the additional related paper they plan to cover alongside the required paper.
  • Sign up for your project team using the project signup sheet . You should be able to access and edit this sheet if you are signed in with your Illinois account.
    • Your project group may be the same as your paper-discussion group or different from it.
    • Aim for a 4-person team whenever possible. One or two 5-person teams are also fine if needed.
    • Choose a team name early, and try to make it distinctive and memorable.