NSF CAREER award to Wayne State University to create next generation network infrastructure

DETROIT - Advances into transforming the capabilities of modern internet infrastructure by integrating high-performance computing into the network's core will be the focus of a recent Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) award from the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Dr. Rhongho Jang, assistant professor of computer science in the James and Patricia Anderson College of Engineering at Wayne State University, received the five-year, $599,998 CAREER award for his study, "In-network GPU Integration for Vision-inspired Generative Inference."

Jang's project aims to explore how to embed Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) directly into routers, allowing the network to analyze information in real time as data passes through, ultimately helping to overcome traditional computing limitations.

"This CAREER project aims to transform the capabilities of modern internet infrastructure," said Jang. "Network routers currently are designed to move data, leaving complex data analysis to be handled by remote cloud servers, which causes significant bottlenecks and delays. We will seek to create a more intelligent and responsive network infrastructure capable of supporting the next generation of data-intensive applications."

The project will have three major focus areas, including developing optimized memory management techniques between routers and GPUs to enable high-throughput artificial intelligence inference at the network core. In addition, the project will introduce a vision-based sketching approach to transform network traffic into vectorized formats, ultimately improving data processing efficiency. Finally, the project will implement specialized generative models that utilize these sketches and hardware integration for advanced threat detection, ultimately serving as a proactive network defense against complex and evolving security risks.

"Dr. Jang's NSF CAREER award reflects the innovative research taking place within our Department of Computer Science and the growing impact of Wayne State engineering faculty on the future of artificial intelligence and cybersecurity," said Dr. Ali Abolmaali, dean of the James and Patricia Anderson College of Engineering. "This project has the potential to transform how networks process and protect information in real time while also preparing students with the advanced skills needed to lead in an increasingly data-driven world. We are proud to see Dr. Jang recognized with one of the NSF's most prestigious awards."

"NSF CAREER awards recognize early-career faculty who are poised to build a strong research and teaching foundation," said Dr. Ezemenari M. Obasi, vice president for research & innovation at Wayne State University. "Receiving these awards are a tremendous achievement, and I look forward to seeing the important outcomes of Dr. Jang's work."

The grant number for Jang's CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation is 2542128.

# # #

Wayne State University is one of the nation's pre-eminent public research universities in an urban setting. Through its multidisciplinary approach to research and education, and its ongoing collaboration with government, industry and other institutions, the university seeks to enhance economic growth and improve the quality of life in the city of Detroit, state of Michigan and throughout the world. For more information about research at Wayne State University, visit research.wayne.edu .