Are there any computer engineers around here?

[laminutederire]

Hi there, I am asking that because I am interested in making computer hardware but it's unclear what studies are helpful for that

Could I pick your brain on that?

Thanks in advance!

[Tedster]

3 minutes ago, laminutederire said:

Hi there, I am asking that because I am interested in making computer hardware but it's unclear what studies are helpful for that

Could I pick your brain on that?

Thanks in advance!

Watching many Linus videos is a good start.

 

Also, spending some time on tech forums might help you learn some things.

[laminutederire]

1 minute ago, Tedster said:

Watching many Linus videos is a good start.

 

Also, spending some time on tech forums might help you learn some things.

Linus shows mostly how to use the hardware, not to manufacture those.

I mean, he shares sometimes theoretical explanations of some stuffs, but those are not master level courses (he probably knows more about it but many wouldn't be interested with those).

It's also that I am torn between computer science degree and physics/electronic engineering degrees. Both make sense to work on the gpu of the future, and I am lost on that.

[DXMember]

what kind of computer hardware are you interested in making?

for like CPU/GPU you should study a lot of material science and general electronics

for motherboards and integrated circuits electrical engineering

making hardware generally has very little to do with computer science, because it's mostly for people that do software

[Sauron]

I'm studying software engineering (aka computer engineering) and it has nothing to do with designing computer hardware. That's electronic engineering, I still do part of that because in my university some of the courses are in common, but other than that they are separate subjects. What I learn is focused on designing software and only gives vague information on what the hardware does (most of the hard work that goes into interfacing with the hardware is usually done by abstractions anyway).

[Clanscorpia]

4 minutes ago, Sauron said:

I'm studying software engineering (aka computer engineering) and it has nothing to do with designing computer hardware. That's electronic engineering, I still do part of that because in my university some of the courses are in common, but other than that they are separate subjects. What I learn is focused on designing software and only gives vague information on what the hardware does (most of the hard work that goes into interfacing with the hardware is usually done by abstractions anyway).

I believed computer engineering was the mid point between EE and Computer sciences

[laminutederire]

3 minutes ago, DXMember said:

what kind of computer hardware are you interested in making?

for like CPU/GPU you should study a lot of material science and general electronics

for motherboards and integrated circuits electrical engineering

making hardware generally has very little to do with computer science, because it's mostly for people that do software

Like GPU or Cpu I think. They present many interesting problems as of now and it would be a really exciting domain to innovate in

Isn't computer science dependant on hardware architecture? It's okay to have abstractions, but for high level computing like for deep learning stuffs or simulations, i came to understand that software optimization is based on hardware specific designs. Was I misled by what I read?

 

[Sauron]

1 minute ago, Clanscorpia said:

I believed computer engineering was the mid point between EE and Computer sciences

kind of, but you can't "sort of" design a cpu

[ALwin]

You'll need to be good in Mathematics, Engineering and Physics... for a start.

[laminutederire]

4 minutes ago, ALwin said:

You'll need to be good in Mathematics, Engineering and Physics... for a start.

I'm an engineering school in France so I've got that covered

I particularly enjoy quantum mechanics, so that gives pieces to reinvent hardware component. 

[DXMember]

14 minutes ago, laminutederire said:

Like GPU or Cpu I think. They present many interesting problems as of now and it would be a really exciting domain to innovate in

Isn't computer science dependant on hardware architecture? It's okay to have abstractions, but for high level computing like for deep learning stuffs or simulations, i came to understand that software optimization is based on hardware specific designs. Was I misled by what I read?

 

now you're mixing things... deep learning and simulations are algorithms that you implement in software, you can most certainly implement them in hardware but the it will be a very specialized kind of hardware, CPUs and GPUs have to be general purpose and be able to run all kinds of software and algorithms to make those whole computer stuff work

before you get to designing new hardware architecture you have to know your electronics very well also some kind of material science

to actually manufacture the hardware or come up with new ways of doing it (like for example replacing silicon with something else) you have to know the material science and some electrical engineering

and the computer scientists will be working on the algorithms for processing the information and yes they will learn some general basics for how the hardware works in order to get most out of it, but they won't be designing the chips or manufacturing them

 

it all depends on the courses your university has to offer... go to some open doors event for the universities around you, look at what they have to offer, ask about the stuff you're interested, tweet some companies for what kind of interns they are looking for, try finding some interviews with Raja Koduri or tweet him, look up Jim Keller's biography, again try tweeting him or something...

it's an amazing world we live in where we can reach out to anyone in the world in a matter of a keypress

[ALwin]

4 minutes ago, laminutederire said:

I'm an engineering school in France so I've got that covered

Good for you, now go invent a time machine for me xD.

 

I'm not really into the "designing hardware" side of IT/Computing so the best advice I can give you is "Go consult with your teachers".

[laminutederire]

9 minutes ago, DXMember said:

now you're mixing things... deep learning and simulations are algorithms that you implement in software, you can most certainly implement them in hardware but the it will be a very specialized kind of hardware, CPUs and GPUs have to be general purpose and be able to run all kinds of software and algorithms to make those whole computer stuff work

before you get to designing new hardware architecture you have to know your electronics very well also some kind of material science

to actually manufacture the hardware or come up with new ways of doing it (like for example replacing silicon with something else) you have to know the material science and some electrical engineering

and the computer scientists will be working on the algorithms for processing the information and yes they will learn some general basics for how the hardware works in order to get most out of it, but they won't be designing the chips or manufacturing them

 

it all depends on the courses your university has to offer... go to some open doors event for the universities around you, look at what they have to offer, ask about the stuff you're interested, tweet some companies for what kind of interns they are looking for, try finding some interviews with Raja Koduri or tweet him, look up Jim Keller's biography, again try tweeting him or something...

it's an amazing world we live in where we can reach out to anyone in the world in a matter of a keypress

I see your point, but I was thinking about like optimization of crossfiring two cards.

I have mainly all possibilities, that was kind of he issue  

Haven't thought about social media's like that, I was trying to contact them directly through e-mail etc. Thanks for the idea though, it was kinda what I was trying to do with that thread to be honest.

[rmac52]

electrical engineering is probably what your looking for..

In reality a company will employ electrical, computer, chemical and probably mechanical engineers.  

[laminutederire]

6 hours ago, rmac52 said:

electrical engineering is probably what your looking for..

In reality a company will employ electrical, computer, chemical and probably mechanical engineers.  

Yeah that's what I heard. However the barrier which prevent us to make better hardware isn't that much about electronics, but it is more about quantum electrodynamics , field which isn't taught in electronic engineering degrees

[rmac52]

9 hours ago, laminutederire said:

Yeah that's what I heard. However the barrier which prevent us to make better hardware isn't that much about electronics, but it is more about quantum electrodynamics , field which isn't taught in electronic engineering degrees

If you really want to invent new things you need to go farther than a ba.  Masters at least and probably a PhD.  You can get a ba in electrical engineering and then get a graduate degree in something more specific.

My ba is in biochemical engineering and my masters is focusing on reserch in infectious disease 

I'm finishing the masters now.  

[2FA]

Electrical Engineering - typically focuses on electronics on the larger scale but can also be swapped with Computer Engineering as both are pretty much the same but scale is different.

 

Computer Engineering - VERY similar to EE but tends to focus on the smaller scale, an EE can do the job of a CE and vice versa.

 

Nanoscale Engineer - I'm not sure how prevalent this is but my University has a college that focuses on nanoscale with Nanoscale Engineering being one of them. It's focused on, well the nanoscale obviously, so designing things like CPUs, GPUs, FGPAs, and other nanoscale logic design. The college is also a fab that is partnered with industry giants like Intel, Samsung, Global Foundries, etc.

[darealsoulless]

21 hours ago, laminutederire said:

Hi there, I am asking that because I am interested in making computer hardware but it's unclear what studies are helpful for that

Could I pick your brain on that?

Thanks in advance!

"Making computer hardware" So you mean like designing PCBs and the underlying architectures for CPUs and GPUs and the such? If so, as far as my knowledge goes schools for computer engineering seem to be pretty few and far between. But I wouldn't know as my #1 field of study is radiology.

[LiMz]

@laminutederire ELECTRONIC engineering specifically light current or computer engineering, nomenclature changes from country to country . ELECTRICAL engineering or heavy current is more geared towards power stations etc. You will have to love Math and Physics and be willing to work hard and be good at regurgitating information. Good luck!

[dcb-z]

On 4/30/2016 at 3:47 PM, Tedster said:

Watching many Linus videos is a good start.

 

Also, spending some time on tech forums might help you learn some things.

Actually, I'd recommend checking out videos from EEVBlog. He does a lot of teardowns of equipment while explaining what the stuff does, and also posts videos explaining different electrical engineering concepts.