About
Who I Am Link to heading
I’m Cagri, a computer architect passionate about pushing the limits of what’s possible in computing. I explore where classic systems thinking meets modern AI: efficient computation, scheduling, and data movement. This space is where I share what I’m learning, building, and thinking about. Thank you for visiting!
What I Do Link to heading
My work spans computer architecture, software engineering, and system design; fields where creativity and persistence come together to build meaningful solutions. I specialize in optimizing ML accelerators, SoC performance modeling, simulation frameworks, and hardware-software co-design. From silicon to software, I work across the whole stack to push computing forward.
How I Work Link to heading
Titles I Wear Depending on the Day:
Computer Architect: When I’m designing systems smarter than some humans.Software Engineer: When I’m debugging code and questioning my life choices.Computer Scientist: When I’m diving into algorithms and pretending to be fancy.System Designer: When I’m making tech look effortless (spoiler: it’s not).Technologist: When I want to sound broad and mysterious.Problem Solver: Because no matter the title, that’s what I do best :)
People Who Shaped My Journey Link to heading
Throughout my career, I’ve been fortunate to work with and learn from exceptional people who shaped who I am today:
- Prof. Oguz Ergin; believed in my persistence, passion, and curiosity; supported me for over a decade.
- Osman Unsal & Adrian Cristal; taught me how to conduct research and collaborate.
- Prof. Yale Patt; showed me the essence of computer architecture; inspired, guided, and believed in me.
- Prof. Mattan Erez; advised me, pushed me to think differently, and backed my ideas.
- Shadi Khasawneh; guided me through real engineering problems, challenged me with new ones, and helped me grow.
- Malcolm Mandviwalla; demonstrated the depth and breadth of technical mastery; inspired me as we achieved great things together.
- Andy Gill; introduced me to the world of compilers; how they work and how they should.
- Adam Li & Peng Sun; helped me become a better software architect.
- Paul Fultz & Mike Vermeulen; shared the craft of software engineering and inspired me to practice it differently.
I’m grateful for their impact on my journey.
Moments I Am Proud Of Link to heading
I was born different, with different perspectives and takes, and obsessions. I was obsessed with reading and writing by five, years ahead of my peers, even though I barely talked. Computers followed at the same age and never let go. The same intensity showed up in math: by seventh grade, I was one of 21 students in all of Turkey selected for the National Math Olympiad. I attended one of the best high schools in Ankara, where I finished every math and calculus exam in half the allocated time with a perfect score. Teachers used my sheets as answer keys.
As an undergraduate, my passion for computers drove me to pursue a double bachelor’s, adding computer engineering to my electrical and electronics engineering degree. I published two conference papers and taught myself courses that weren’t offered. Time being the only valuable thing, I only invested in what mattered to my mind. My GPA was 2.91; I didn’t mind low grades in courses that didn’t matter to me. I chose depth over breadth: computer architecture over antenna theory or power electronics. Instead, I spent my time learning everything I could about computer architecture and researching with professors in the field. I was one of two students in my year admitted to PhD programs in the United States, accepted to two fully funded programs with research scholarships. I also know when to stop: I left with a master’s thesis, not a PhD, because bringing impact in the computer chip world was more appealing than finishing a credential.
In 2020, while at AMD, I presented a chatbot system with memory capabilities to a VP and outlined how sufficiently large models would transform the way we write code. Two years later, the world met ChatGPT.
In my first three years at Intel, I earned a recognition award each year. Each one required me to learn new simulators, programming languages, and methodologies from scratch and deliver impact. There is nothing in computers I cannot figure out.
Every step in my career has brought more impact: Intel, AMD, Rain.ai. At Rain, I built our simulation infrastructure and reshaped the SoC architecture significantly, identifying where and why bottlenecks happen and whether they should be fixed. I wasn’t the lead architect, but I shaped more of the final design than my title suggested.
I’ve been writing since I was twelve: code, stories, and poems. Each expresses a different take on life, but they share the same impulse: to create, to understand, to leave something behind. Now I’m writing a memoir called “Quiet Voltage.” Why? Because I’ve heard it too many times: “You should write your life in a book.” Life gave me plenty of material; surviving, hiding, never quite fitting in, and pushing forward anyway. When people hear my story, they’re often stunned and inspired in equal measure. Four chapters in, eight more to go.
My surname is Eryilmaz. In Turkish, it means “the brave one who never gives up.” I try to live up to it.