CALAS

We are delighted to welcome back Dr. Irfan to our CALAS team in his new role as a Postdoctoral Researcher! As one of Prof. Ray’s distinguished PhD graduates, Dr. Irfan brings valuable expertise and fresh perspectives to our research community. His dedication to supporting MS and PhD students reflects the collaborative spirit that defines CALAS. We look forward to the innovative contributions and mentorship Dr. Irfan will bring to our growing team. Together, we will continue to push boundaries and achieve excellence in our research endeavors. Welcome back to the family, Dr. Irfan!

Heartfelt congratulations to Ashraf on the acceptance of his paper “Efficient CUR Decomposition for Interpretable Low-rank Approximations and Imaging Applications” in Neurocomputing! With an impressive impact factor of 5.719, this prestigious journal recognizes the outstanding contribution to the field. This publication further cements our reputation for excellence in computational matrix analysis and imaging applications. Ashraf’s work exemplifies our commitment to developing interpretable and efficient algorithms with real-world impact. We look forward to seeing how this research advances the field and inspires future innovations. Keep up the exceptional work!

We are delighted to welcome Mang and Simon from Tsinghua Berkeley Shenzhen Institute (TBSI) who will be joining our CALAS lab next month. As top engineers from the USA, they bring exceptional expertise that will enhance our research capabilities. Their backgrounds in advanced engineering align perfectly with our ongoing projects and innovation goals. This addition represents CALAS’s commitment to building interdisciplinary excellence and expanding our research horizons. We anticipate fruitful collaboration and technological advancements through their contributions to our group.

Following our initial hosting of StarFive representatives on March 6, we are delighted to announce the formal establishment of the “StarFive-CityUHK EE RISC-V Ecosystem Joint Laboratory” in partnership with Hong Kong Investment Management Co., Ltd. (HKIC). This milestone was celebrated at the inaugural Hong Kong RISC-V Development Summit Forum on March 21, 2025, where our CALAS research group was prominently featured.
During the ceremony, Professor Ray presented CALAS’s expertise in RISC-V development, highlighting our lab’s contributions to computer architecture innovation and security research. The presentation included an introduction to our CALAS family and ongoing research projects, demonstrating our readiness to lead in this strategic partnership.
The joint laboratory will serve as a critical platform for combining academic research with industrial applications, particularly leveraging CALAS’s strengths in cryptography hardware and RISC-V architecture. As a team member noted, “RISC-V democratizes microchip development just as Deepseek did to AI. CALAS has a big role to play in this StarFive Hong Kong adventure.”
This collaboration represents a significant step in Hong Kong’s semiconductor ecosystem development, creating unprecedented opportunities for our researchers and students to engage with cutting-edge RISC-V technologies. We extend our gratitude to Professor Ray and Professor Patrick for their commendable efforts in establishing this partnership, and to StarFive for their commitment to fostering innovation in Hong Kong’s technology landscape.
We look forward to advancing RISC-V research and applications through this newly formed joint laboratory, bridging academic excellence with industrial implementation.

We are delighted to announce that Dr. Shiyu Shen, Dr. Hao Yang, and Professor Winston have had their paper, “VeloFHE: GPU Acceleration for FHEW and TFHE Bootstrapping”, accepted for publication in the prestigious Transactions on Cryptographic Hardware and Embedded Systems (TCHES) Volume 2025 Issue 3.

We extend our sincere appreciation to Professor Ray and Professor Winston for their continuous support and invaluable guidance throughout this research journey.

Congratulations once again to Dr. Shen and Dr. Yang on this significant contribution to the field of cryptographic hardware acceleration. Your commitment to excellence continues to inspire our research community.

We are delighted to welcome Mr. Haochen CAI (Elvis) to our CALAS team. Elvis received his B.Eng. degree in Electronic Information Engineering from the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China. He then proceeded to earn his M.Sc. in Electronic Information Engineering at City University of Hong Kong, where he is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in the Department of Electrical Engineering. With his strong background and ongoing research, we believe Elvis will be a valuable addition to the group. Let’s all congratulate and support him as he begins his exciting journey with CALAS!

On March 6, 2025, at 4:30 pm, we had the pleasure of hosting a distinguished delegation from StarFive—comprising their leader, technical expert, market researcher, and HR—at our CALAS lab. During their visit, we showcased our ongoing research in cryptography hardware and highlighted our latest breakthroughs in RISC-V architecture and security defense.

StarFive representatives shared invaluable insights into their extensive RISC-V development experience, shedding light on the company’s plans to establish a division in Hong Kong geared toward nurturing next-generation hardware talent. Their openness to innovative collaborations resonated strongly with our team’s passion for cutting-edge research. Notably, Candice engaged in fruitful discussions with the delegation, given her coinciding research interests in RISC-V. This exchange sparked lively conversations on potential joint ventures, including the integration of academic research with StarFive’s forward-looking industrial ambitions.

We are looking forward to cultivating a deeper partnership, bridging the gap between technological innovation and real-world impact for both academia and industry.

Prof. Ray’s unwavering support for our research and well-being was on full display during our lunch at Café 103 in The Ritz-Carlton. Over a spread of succulent dishes, he inquired about our ongoing projects, offered invaluable guidance, and showed genuine concern for the challenges of living in Hong Kong, especially for couples navigating life here. With panoramic views of the bay’s green waters from the lofty vantage, we truly felt inspired.

He reminded us that opportunities abound in this dynamic city, fueling everyone’s motivation to move forward. The uplifting feedback and spectacular environment recharged our energy for the next phase of research and collaboration. Each encouraging word reminded us that, with Prof. Ray’s mentorship and the CALAS family’s support, we can transform challenges into victories. Let’s continue striving for excellence and make 2025 another milestone year for CALAS!

Thrilled to announce Candice and team’s paper “ConBOOM: A Configurable CPU Microarchitecture for Speculative Covert Channel Mitigation” has been accepted by Electronics! With 5 reviewers’ rigorous feedback (4 requiring detailed revisions), the team mastered constructive rebuttals under Prof. Ray’s guidance and CALAS’s support. Kudos to Prof. Yao, Henry, Sanka, and Prof. Patrick!

Good work, Candice. Keep shining!