Mission
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NextGArch Lab
Pioneering the Future of NextGen Systems and Networks!
At the University of Michigan, NextGArch Lab is dedicated to revolutionizing computer systems, networks, and architectures through cutting-edge research and innovation in CSE and EECS.
About NextGArch Lab
Our Mission
At the NextGArch Lab, we conduct innovative research in computer systems, networks, and architectures. Our work involves developing domain-specific abstractions, compilers, and architectures for networks and systems, with applications in AI/ML, self-driving networks, cloud/edge computing, and 5G/6G.
Research Areas

Domain-Specific Systems
New programming models, runtime systems, and architectures for nextgen high-performance and scalable computing.

Domain-Specific Networks
Novel networking protocols, architectures, and algorithms for efficient and reliable data communication.

Domain-Specific Architectures
Innovative architectures for future computing systems, including hw/sw co-design and accelerators for line-rate and proficient ML/AI.

Systems+X and Networks+X
Leveraging cross-domain insights—e.g., X = ML/AI—to push the boundaries of efficiency, scalability, and innovation in distributed and networked systems.
Latest News
Mar 20, 2025
HardHarvest accepted to ISCA '25. Congratulations, Jovan Stojkovic, Chunao Liu, and the team!

linkedin

CPU cycles in shared datacenters are *incredibly* precious—we can't afford… | Muhammad Shahbaz

CPU cycles in shared datacenters are *incredibly* precious—we can't afford to let them sit idle. With HardHarvest, we offer a lightning-fast way to share these…

Mar 15, 2025
Woot! Ertza Warraich is off to Microsoft Research Redmond (MSR) this Summer!

Microsoft Research

Microsoft Research Lab - Redmond - Microsoft Research

Computer science research supporting the future of the connected world with secure computing that enriches lives and empowers everyone.

Feb 28, 2025
Ali Imran, Annus Zulfiqar, and Prof. Shahbaz are co-mentoring P4 GSoC this year!

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Muhammad Shahbaz on LinkedIn: Woot! 🎉 We’ve got an incredible team of mentors, including industry…

Woot! 🎉 We’ve got an incredible team of mentors, including industry veterans and rising stars (even graduate students), along with an awesome list of…

Jan 27, 2025
Gigaflow accepted to ASPLOS '25. Congratulations, Annus Zulfiqar and the team!

linkedin

Muhammad Shahbaz on LinkedIn: #openvswitch #smartnics

From Longest Prefix Matching (LPM) to Longest Traversal Matching (LTM): Supercharging virtual switches with a Gigaflow cache! Congratulations to my students…

Jan 1, 2025
Prof. Shahbaz started at the University of Michigan as Assistant Professor!

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Muhammad Shahbaz on LinkedIn: I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Assistant Professor… | 56 comments

I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Assistant Professor at University of Michigan! | 56 comments on LinkedIn

Dec 17, 2024
Bilal Saleem, Omar Basit, and team won IEEE CS North America Student Challenge!

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Muhammad Shahbaz on LinkedIn: So proud of my students, Bilal Saleem, Omar Basit, and their team for…

So proud of my students, Bilal Saleem, Omar Basit, and their team for winning first prize at the IEEE CS North America Student Challenge! 🎉 Purdue Computer…

Our Team
Muhammad Shahbaz
Principal Investigator (PI)
Assistant Professor, U-M (CSE)
Ertza Warraich
Ph.D. Student (Purdue)
Focus: ML Systems and Networks, Security, and AI
Annus Zulfiqar
Ph.D. Student (U-M)
Focus: HW/SW Co-Design, Virtual Networks, and In-Network AI
Bilal Saleem
Ph.D. Student (Purdue)
Focus: Cloud-Native Systems, Edge Computing, and 5G
Murayyiam Parvez
Ph.D. Student (Purdue)
Focus: Network Security, In-Network ML, and Programmable Data Planes
Ali Imran
Ph.D. Student (U-M)
Focus: Programmable Data Planes, In-Network ML, and Agentic Systems
Qizheng Zhang
Ph.D. Student (Stanford), co-advised with Kunle Olukotun
Focus: ML and Agentic Systems, In-Network ML, and Video Streaming
Omar Basit
Ph.D. Student (Purdue), co-advised with Y. Charlie Hu
Focus: AR/VR, 5G Systems and Cloud/Edge Computing
Marilyn Rego
B.S. Student (Purdue)
Focus: Agentic Systems, In-Network ML, and Domain-Specific LLMs
Venkat Kunaparaju
B.S./M.S. Student (Purdue)
Focus: HW/SW Co-Design, Virtual Networks, and Cloud Computing
Selected Publications
ISCA '25
HardHarvest: Hardware-Supported Core Harvesting for Microservices
Jovan Stojkovic, Chunao Liu, Muhammad Shahbaz, Josep Torrellas
ASPLOS '25
Gigaflow: Pipeline-Aware Sub-Traversal Caching for Modern SmartNICs
Annus Zulfiqar, Ali Imran, Venkat Kunaparaju, Ben Pfaff, Gianni Antichi, Muhammad Shahbaz
NSDI '25
OptiReduce: Resilient and Tail-Optimal AllReduce for Distributed Deep Learning in the Cloud
Ertza Warraich, Omer Shabtai, Khalid Manaa, Shay Vargaftik, Yonatan Piasetzky, Matty Kadosh, Lalith Suresh, Muhammad Shahbaz
Google Research Scholar Award
OSDI '24
Caravan: Practical Online Learning of In-Network ML Models with Labeling Agents
Qizheng Zhang, Ali Imran, Enkeleda Bardhi, Tushar Swamy, Nathan Zhang, Muhammad Shahbaz, Kunle Olukotun
SRC JUMP 2.0 Best Paper Award
IMC '23
Modeling and Generating Control-Plane Traffic for Cellular Networks
Jiayi Meng, Jinqgi Huang, Y. Charlie Hu, Yaron Koral, Xiaojun Lin, Muhammad Shahbaz, Abhigyan Sharma
Best Paper Award (Runner Up)
Our Sponsors
NSF
National Science Foundation
SRC
Semiconductor Research Corporation
Intel
Intel Corporation
Google Research
Google
Facebook
Meta
VMware Research
by Broadcom
AMD
Advanced Micro Devices
Nvidia
Nvidia Corporation
ONF
Open Networking Foundation
Contact Us
University of Michigan
Computer Science and Engineering, EECS
Location
Bob and Betty Beyster Building (4644), University of Michigan
Social Media
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