There are those that make seminal contributions to life-changing technologies which push the
boundaries of innovation. Then there are those that evangelise and drive initiatives to protect
Planet Earth. It is rare that one sees both these seemingly incompatible traits converge in a single
person. And when one does, one is hardly surprised to find that that inspiring person is a
Josephite.

Dr. Chandu Visweswariah, you are indeed one such old boy of St. Joseph’s Boys’ High School,
who has done your alma mater proud.
After completing School with flying colours, you joined Indian Institute of Technology, Madras,
from where you graduated with a B.Tech. You then gained admission into Carnegie Mellon
University, Pittsburgh, USA, from where you finished both your MS and PhD in Electrical and
Computer Engineering.

You then embarked on what was to be a spectacular 28-year career at IBM. A pioneer in circuit
analysis and optimization, and the inventor of statistical timing, your tenure saw you develop
techniques used in every IBM chip design – including formal circuit tuning and gate-level timing
sign-off. In a nutshell, your fundamental contributions helped improve performance, ensured
timing correctness, combated variability and enhanced design productivity across three
generations of IBM’s fastest microprocessors and most complex Application-Specific Integrated
Circuits (ASICs). You also developed an early interest in clean energy, renewable energy and the
environment, which culminated in your leading a worldwide Smarter Energy and Environmental
Science team at IBM Research.

With 119 granted patents, a co-authored book “Electronic Circuit and System Simulation
Methods,” and over a hundred publications, your contribution to the world of computer
engineering has thus been fundamental and game-changing. All of which won you much
deserved accolades. You were awarded an IEEE Fellow in 1995, won your first IBM Corporate
Award in 2003 and were declared Innovator of the Year by EDN Magazine in 2006. In 2009,
you were recognized as a Distinguished Engineer in Electronic Design Automation in IBM’s
Systems and Technology Group, leading a team responsible for optimizing chip functionality
and made a Member of the IBM Academy of Technology. You were declared an IBM Master
Inventor in 2011 and the following year, you won your second IBM Corporate Award. In 2013,
you were made an IBM Fellow, among the highest global recognitions in technology and
engineering. IBM Fellows include 5 Nobel Prize winners and 5 Turing Award winners,
providing perhaps the best measure of your achievement. More, however, was to follow. In
2016, the ACM/IEEE A. Richard Newton Technical Impact Award and the IBM 25th Invention
Plateau Award came your way and you have also declared a Distinguished Alumnus of the
Indian Institute of Technology.

Throughout your career, you have developed prescient technical visions and innovations. And, in
2017, when you transitioned from a researcher to an entrepreneur, you embarked on a journey of
orchestrating the future of energy with advanced data analytics and power forecasting to help
wind and solar power operators optimize their renewable energy assets. You spun Utopus
Insights out of IBM Research and in 2018 led to the acquisition of the start-up by Vestas, the
world’s largest wind turbine manufacturer.

Today, as President and CEO of Utopus Insights, you lead one of the most forward-thinking
teams in all of energy, developing global digital solutions to accelerate the integration of
renewable energy into the modern grid. Your data analytics solutions are improving the
efficiency and effectiveness of wind turbines across the globe, with more than 100 GW of wind
turbines in 60 countries.

Where most technocrats would have been content with the fortunes they had made and furthering
their professional success, you proved to be made of a more principled mettle, making significant
contributions to environmental causes and supporting education for the underprivileged. A
believer in practicing what you preach, you co-founded Croton100 and CURE100, community-based environmental not-for-profits and, today, lead an exemplary low-carbon lifestyle in a zero-carbon home.
Dr. Chandu Visweswariah, you are a true exemplar of the Josephite spirit and a living
inspiration to the thousands of your fellow alumni and students of St. Joseph’s Boys’ High
School.

It is, therefore, our privilege, honour and pleasure to present you with the OBA Lifetime
Achievement Award.

We wish you a most rewarding and meaningful life ahead and all success in your drive to
promote renewable energy and your mission to make zero carbon living all-pervasive.