CALAS

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!

We are honored to announce that Prof. Ray has been invited to serve as a Technical Program Committee (TPC) member for the 35th International Conference on Field-Programmable Logic and Applications (FPL 2025). This prestigious conference, held in the historic city of Leiden, Netherlands (December 8–12, 2025), is a premier forum for cutting-edge research in FPGA technologies, reconfigurable architectures, and their applications in AI acceleration, edge computing, and hardware security.

Join us in Leiden to explore the future of programmable logic！More good news coming!

Good news! Prof. Ray has been invited to serve as a Technical Program Committee (TPC) member at the IEEE Global Communications Conference (GLOBECOM) 2025, a flagship event of the IEEE Communications Society. Focused on frontier innovations and global collaboration in communications technology, the conference will explore cutting-edge topics like wireless communication, AI-driven optimization, IoT, and 5G/6G.

This opportunity highlights our team’s commitment to advancing research excellence and fostering international collaboration in transformative fields. More updates soon!

At the start of the New Year, Prof. Ray dropped by the lab to greet our new master’s and undergraduate students, offering guidance and discussing their research plans with warmth and rigor.

A special welcome goes out to Annie, a second-year CDE student who recently completed the Arrow Training at HKSTP. Her passion for IC design is evident, and we are excited to see her grow as part of our team. We also extend gratitude to Claire and Leo for their invaluable support in fostering a collaborative environment.

Prof. Ray’s visit was a testament to his commitment to nurturing students both academically and personally. With his guidance, the CALAS group continues to thrive as a close-knit family, where everyone feels inspired and supported to tackle new challenges together.

Big congratulations to Lucas, Joshua, and Gavin for their paper, “PQNTRU: Acceleration of NTRU-based Schemes via Customized Post-Quantum Processor”, being published in IEEE Transactions on Computers (TC).

This achievement highlights their dedication to advancing post-quantum cryptographic acceleration and contributing to cutting-edge research in secure computing.

Great work, Lucas and Joshua. Keep pushing boundaries!

We are delighted to welcome Ash (Junshen Shi) to CALAS as our newest PhD candidate. He earned his B.Eng. in Computer Science from Nanjing University of Science and Technology as a former student of our CALAS 2nd PhD graduate, Prof. Xiangyu LI. Then he went on to obtain a Master degree in the EE department at CityUHK. His seamless transition from Master’s to PhD studies at CALAS demonstrates his strong dedication to research and innovation. We wish him every success in his doctoral journey!