Doctoral (PhD) Faculty Research Search Faculty Profile
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Sung-Kyu Lim

Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Education

  • 2000, Doctoral Degree, University of California - Los Angeles
  • 1997, Master's Degree, University of California - Los Angeles
  • 1994, Bachelor's Degree, University of California - Los Angeles

Biography

Dr. Sung Kyu Lim is Dean’s Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Southern California. He joined USC in Fall 2025 after serving as the Motorola Solutions Foundation Professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he began his academic career in 2001. He received his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in Computer Science from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1994, 1997, and 2000, respectively.

Dr. Lim’s research specializes in the architecture, design, and electronic design automation (EDA) of 2.5D and 3D integrated circuits. He has authored more than 400 publications in these areas. His contributions have been recognized with the Best Paper Award from IEEE Transactions on Computer-Aided Design of Integrated Circuits and Systems in 2022 and from the ACM Design Automation Conference in 2023. He received the NSF CAREER Award in 2006, and his work was featured as a Research Highlight in Communications of the ACM in 2014.

He is a Fellow of the IEEE, honored for his contributions to “EDA and tradeoffs for 3D integrated circuits.” From 2022 to 2024, Dr. Lim served as a Program Manager at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in the Microsystems Technology Office (MTO). He received University-level teaching awards from Georgia Tech multiple times recently (2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2025).


Research Summary

Multi-chip integration has become standard practice in cloud-based AI services and is increasingly adopted in edge learning applications. By leveraging 2.5D and 3D IC architectures, multi-chip integration enables significant improvements in energy efficiency and latency during both data transfers and computation. Central to these advancements is the automation of design and simulation processes for heterogeneous AI chips, where sophisticated algorithms are playing an increasingly dominant role over manual engineering efforts. This shift is driven by advances in electronic design automation (EDA) tools. At USC, my research team enhances EDA capabilities by integrating AI-driven and conventional algorithms, specifically tailored to the development of cutting-edge heterogeneous AI chips composed of multiple chiplets in side-by-side (2.5D) and/or vertically stacked (3D) configurations.

Awards

  • 2025 Georgia Institute of Technology Class of 1934 CIOS Honor Roll by the Center for Teaching and Learning
  • 2024 Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Award for Excellence
  • 2023 ACM Design Automation Conference (DAC) Best Paper Award
  • 2022 IEEE Transactions on Computer-Aided Design of Integrated Circuits and Systems Donald O. Pederson Best Paper Award
  • 2022 Georgia Institute of Technology Class of 1934 CIOS Honor Roll by the Center for Teaching and Learning
  • 2022 IEEE Transactions on Electromagnetic Compatibility Richard B. Shultz Best Paper Award
  • 2022 ACM/IEEE International Symposium on Low Power Electronics and Design (ISLPED) Best Paper Award
  • 2022 ACM/IEEE Workshop on Machine Learning for CAD (ML CAD) Best Paper Award
  • 2021 Georgia Institute of Technology Class of 1934 CIOS Honor Roll by the Center for Teaching and Learning
  • 2020 Georgia Institute of Technology Class of 1940 Course Survey Teaching Effectiveness Award
  • 2019 Georgia Institute of Technology Class of 1940 Course Survey Teaching Effectiveness Award
  • 2018 Georgia Institute of Technology Class of 1940 Course Survey Teaching Effectiveness Award
  • 2016 Georgia Institute of Technology Class of 1940 Course Survey Teaching Effectiveness Award
  • 2014 IEEE International Interconnect Technology Conference (IITC) Best Paper Award
  • 2006 National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award
Appointments
Office
  • EEB 346
  • Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center
  • 3740 McClintock Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90089
  • USC Mail Code: 2563
Contact Information
  • limsung@usc.edu
Links
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