Physical meeting

Speaker: Dr. Ittai Abraham (VMware Research)

Title: Consensus: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Abstract: Consensus is a fundamental problem in Computer Science that captures the essence of our ability to create trust and cooperate despite adverse conditions. This talk provides a brief overview of two amazing stories. The first is how such a simple problem, defined over 40 years ago, is still an active area of study and of innovation, both in theoretical research and in more applied system research. The second is how results in Computer Science that seemed completely impractical just 10 or 20 years ago are now at the forefront of the Blockchain and Cryptocurrency revolution and are redefining how large-scale cooperation and governance can emerge.

Bio: Ittai Abraham is a Senior Researcher at VMware Research. His work spans from the theory of algorithms through the foundations of distributed computing to practical aspects in industrial research, algorithm engineering, distributed systems and blockchain technology.

Speaker: Dr. Ishai Ilani, Western Digital

Title: Efficient Toom Cook Multiplication

Abstract: The Toom Cook algorithm is a well-known algorithm for multiplying big integer numbers. In this paper we present a modular Toom Cook algorithm based on matrix multiplication, for computing multiplication modulo sparse integers. The matrix approach allows for implementing multiple levels of recursion within a simple modular scheme. The paper is an extension a TAU project done by the first two authors as part of their duties for B.Sc. The project (under supervision of Ishai Ilani) won a first prize in a poster contest at TAU in 2021. The project was also awarded the Weinstein prize for 2021. Authors: Itzchak Harel, Roy Naor, Ishai Ilani The first two authors were TAU students, and are currently doing their army service.

Bio: Ishai Ilani was born in Jerusalem, Israel, in 1957. He received the B.Sc., M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in mathematics from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. From 1997-2000 he was a Researcher at ECI Telecom working on ADSL technology and standards. From 2000 to 2007 he was Company Scientist at Actelis Networks. His main focus in Actelis was real time noise mitigation of multi-line DSL modems, (technology and standards). In 2012 he joined SanDisk Israel branch at Kfar Saba, as a Senior Technologist. (SanDisk was later acquired by Western Digital Corporation). Ishai's current focus is on security related issues.