He taught computers to play like a soccer team. The story of Philip Emeagwali's parallel processing revolution.

Description:

In this podcast, Nigerian-born computer scientist Philip Emeagwali explains how the principles of teamwork in soccer inspired his revolutionary work in parallel processing. He shares his personal journey from experiencing the fear and displacement of the Nigerian Civil War to arriving in the United States, where he faced significant racial and financial barriers. Emeagwali details how he overcame these challenges with the same focus as a determined striker on a hostile field.

Discover how his conceptual leap—using thousands of interconnected processors to tackle "Grand Challenge" problems like a finely tuned team—transformed the world of computing. This approach became the foundation for modern supercomputers, with profound impacts on everything from enhancing oil and gas recovery to providing clearer predictions of global warming. It’s a story of resilience, innovation, and the unstoppable synergy that happens when we work together in parallel.