Computer Architecture and Semiconductor Design Centre

Welcome to CASCADE, the Computer Architecture and Semiconductor Design Centre at the University of Cambridge. We focus on research that addresses some of the grand challenges in computer architecture, design automation and semiconductors, a critical area of computing that underpins today’s technologies and drives the next generation of computing systems. We have expertise across the breadth of the area, encompassing the design and optimisation of general-purpose microprocessors, specialised accelerators, on-chip interconnect and memory systems, along with verification, compilation and networking.

The CASCADE Research Centre funds PhD students through support from industry. Our first cohort of students started in October 2025 and we're now accepting applications for the second cohort to start in October 2026. CASCADE funds students from anywhere in the world, and we particularly encourage applications from female and other students currently under-represented in the area.

If you're thinking of applying then please reach out to one of our supervisors, think about how your research will meet one of the challenges that we're targeting, and understand how to make an application to us.