Olivier Sentieys is a Professor at the University of Rennes and a Senior Research Director at Inria (French National Institute for Research in Digital Science and Technology) since September 2023. He leads the Taran research team, a joint initiative between Inria and IRISA Laboratory, which comprises approximately 50 researchers including 8 faculty members, 25 PhD students, post-docs, and research engineers. Previously, he served as Inria Research Chair on Energy-Efficient Computing Architectures (2017-2023) and as Head of the Computer Architecture Department at IRISA (2010-2019). Professor Sentieys' research spans computer architectures, computer arithmetic, embedded systems, and signal processing, with particular emphasis on energy-efficient hardware accelerators (especially for machine learning), approximate computing, numerical accuracy analysis, and fault tolerance. His work bridges theoretical foundations with practical implementations, focusing on system-level design methodologies that optimize both performance and energy consumption. His research has evolved from early work on power management for energy harvesting sensor networks to current cutting-edge investigations in machine learning hardware acceleration and reliability of deep neural networks. Analysis of his recent publications reveals a strong trend toward hardware acceleration for machine learning applications, with increasing focus on fault tolerance mechanisms for deep neural networks and precision optimization techniques. His work demonstrates a consistent trajectory of addressing energy efficiency challenges across multiple computing domains, from traditional embedded systems to modern AI workloads. The interdisciplinary nature of his research connects computer architecture with machine learning, reliability engineering, and energy harvesting technologies. Scientific Excellence Award (PEDR, PES) recipient since 1998 without interruption Member of the IEEE/ACM DATE Executive Committee since 2022 Jury member for EDAA Outstanding Dissertations Award since 2016 Member of ANR Scientific Evaluation Committee CE25 Professor Sentieys has demonstrated extensive leadership in research funding and collaboration, having led a French ANR project, participated in multiple ANR projects, and contributed to three European FP7/H2020 projects. He has served as scientific leader for approximately 30 research contracts and funded collaborations. His advising responsibilities include overseeing numerous PhD students within the Taran team, which comprises 20 PhD students, 3 post-docs, and 5 research engineers. His leadership extends to committee service, including membership on the Evaluation Committee of INRIA since 2019 and participation in technical committees for major conferences like DATE, ICCAD, and FPL. The Taran research team (formerly Cairn), which Professor Sentieys leads, focuses on designing energy-efficient and fault-tolerant computing accelerators. The team operates within the IRISA laboratory, a joint research unit (UMR 6074) that brings together over 700 researchers from Inria, CNRS, University of Rennes, INSA Rennes, and ENS Rennes. The team's work bridges theoretical computer architecture research with practical implementations, maintaining strong industry connections and technology transfer pathways.
