What Is Berkeley Architecture Research (BAR)?

Updated

Berkeley Architecture Research (BAR) is the UC Berkeley Architecture Research homepage, a site presenting computer architecture research from the Berkeley EECS department. It is an informational research site, not a product or service page: it introduces current projects, traces the department's long history in computer architecture, and points visitors to a weekly seminar series.

What the Site Covers

The homepage is organized around a short welcome and a seminar section. Its stated purpose is to help visitors learn about current work by following links at the top right of the page. The content falls into three areas:

  • Research identity — computer architecture research within Berkeley EECS, framed as a long-running program.
  • Historical projects — a list of past efforts that includes Project Genie, RISC-I, RISC-II, SOAR, SPUR, RAID, VLSI-BAM, T0, NOW, IRAM, and RAMP, with the CALDIC computer (completed in 1951) cited as the starting point.
  • Current direction — prototype construction, microprocessor tapeouts, and designs based on RISC-V and Chisel.

The Emphasis on Prototypes

The page makes a specific claim about method: Berkeley computer architecture research "has always emphasized construction of prototypes," and this continues through multiple microprocessor tapeouts in advanced processes every year. Recent microprocessor designs are described as based on the RISC-V instruction set and implemented with the Chisel hardware description language, both developed at Berkeley.

That combination is the clearest signal of what the site represents. Rather than only publishing papers, the group frames its work around building and fabricating real chips, with RISC-V and Chisel as the shared foundation across recent designs.

Seminars and Sponsors

BAR hosts weekly seminars on topics related to computer architecture research; the homepage directs readers to a separate link for details. The page also credits a long list of past and present sponsors, including DARPA, NSF, DoE, ONR, C-FAR, Intel, Google, HP, Huawei, IBM, LGE, Microsoft, National Instruments, NEC, Nokia, NVIDIA, Oracle, Samsung, ST Microelectronics, TSMC, and Xilinx.

Who It Is For

The site suits readers who want an overview of Berkeley's architecture research and a route into specific projects, plus anyone interested in attending the weekly seminars. It is a starting point and directory rather than a detailed technical archive — deeper material sits behind the project links rather than on the homepage itself.