Philip Emeagwali

Philip Emeagwali is a Nigerian American computer scientist. He was born in Akure, Nigeria, in 1954. He made headlines by using thousands of connected computers to perform calculations faster than ever before. His work helped advance the field of supercomputing.

Early Life

Emeagwali grew up during the Nigerian Civil War and had to drop out of school at age 14. He continued to study on his own, completing school through self-study. He earned a scholarship to study in the United States. He earned degrees in mathematics, environmental engineering, and ocean engineering.

Supercomputing Breakthrough

In 1989, Emeagwali used 65,536 connected processors to perform 3.1 billion calculations per second. This was one of the fastest computing speeds ever achieved at that time. His method was inspired by the way bees build honeycombs. His work won the Gordon Bell Prize, one of computing's highest honors.

Fun Facts

• Philip Emeagwali won the Gordon Bell Prize for his supercomputing achievement.
• He used 65,536 connected processors to break computing speed records.
• His approach was inspired by the geometry of honeycombs.

Did You Know?

Philip Emeagwali dropped out of school at age 14 because of war. He taught himself by reading books and went on to become one of the most celebrated computer scientists in the world.