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Ken Whaley
Verified Expert in Engineering
C++ Developer
Helsinki, Finland
Toptal member since September 6, 2012
Bio
Ken is a top architect, engineer, and developer with over 30 years of experience in the field. He has a proven ability to understand, optimize, enhance, and create from scratch significant software tools and workflows with large user bases that greatly magnify productivity for large groups of engineers. Ken is eager to take on new challenges and has done so with teams of all sizes and compositions.
Portfolio
Samsung
Django, Windows, Linux, Python, Concurrency, Networking...
AMD
LLVM, C++
Perpetually.com, LLC (via Toptal)
JavaScript, Django, Python
Experience
- Linux - 20 years
- C - 20 years
- Automation Tools - 20 years
- Scripting - 20 years
- C++ - 18 years
- Python - 15 years
- Django - 3 years
- Objective-C - 2 years
Preferred Environment
Unix, Linux, MacOS, Windows
The most amazing...
...thing I've built is a command and data transport to a graphics processing device from a CPU performing write reordering operations.
Work Experience
GPU Tools Architect
2014 - 2019
Samsung
- Architected and implemented STF, a C++11 framework that formed the core of the SGPU verification flow, used by nearly all teams in the SGPU project. STF is a collection of components and interfaces that manages the creation, inspection, and dynamic modification of test-to-GPU command streams. STF interfaces both the high-level (device driver) and low-level (hardware simulator). STF is multi-platform (x64 Linux, ARM Linux, x86/x64 Windows), client-server (TCP sockets), and concurrent (threads).
- Implemented verification userspace KMD module in STF to test low-level host interface of the GPU, which handles: GPU command stream, GPU memory access, interrupts, MMU.
- Worked in cross-functional teams (including device driver, firmware, hardware architecture, hardware implementation, RTL simulation, C++ simulation, RTL emulation, infrastructure) to implement and release new STF features, and major new features of the GPU: host interface and MMU.
- Designed and developed DMS, a python/Django/MySQL data management system—a web-based application managing publication display/visualization of GPU metrics (power, performance, area) in both table and graph format.
Technologies: Django, Windows, Linux, Python, Concurrency, Networking, Standard Template Library (STL), C++
Senior Member Technical Staff
2011 - 2013
AMD
- Led the Heterogeneous System Architecture (HSA) compiler's debugger support effort.
- Designed debug information generation and flow throughout the HSA compiler stack, including: compiler front end, LLVM codegen back end, linker, runtime libraries, and finalizer (JIT).
- Worked closely with stakeholders from debugger, runtime, and compiler teams to ensure correct and complete debug information design and implementation.
- Wrote and presented for review an architectural design document for HSAIL compiler debug information.
- Successfully adapted industry standards (DWARF) to the nontraditional HSAIL architecture.
- Implemented custom DWARF generator for the HSAIL assembler.
- Adapted LLVM's targetindependent DwarfDebug DWARF generation module to the HSAIL LLVM codegen target.
- Supervised junior engineer in partial implementation of the LLVM debug information generation and in creating a test suite for debug information generation.
Technologies: LLVM, C++
Senior Software Engineer
2011 - 2011
Perpetually.com, LLC (via Toptal)
- Wrote a binary media file disassembler/parser/transformer/re-assembler tool in Python.
- Added an accelerated "test" web crawl tool (Python/Django).
- Performed a successful feasibility study in using a Python-based JavaScript parsing library to rewrite JavaScript files.
- Implemented a new back-end web API in Python/Django to accompany a new front-end to Perpetually's system for creating, running, searching, scheduling, and monitoring both full web crawls and test web crawls. Worked closely with Perpetually team members to design and tune the API to suit the front end's needs. Added new Django models to support the new functionality. Created extensive Python test suites for all new functionality.
Technologies: JavaScript, Django, Python
Senior Software Engineer
2011 - 2011
Loytr, Inc. (via Toptal)
- Wrote a new photo album/photo display module for MyPad for iPad.
Technologies: Objective-C, iOS
Co-founder, CTO
2011 - 2011
Posylnyi, Inc.
- Designed and implemented MySQL/PHP back-end system that services both the Posylnyi interactive ordering website and the Posylnyi iPhone application.
- Designed database schemas to manage menus, customers, orders, couriers, restaurant locations, etc.
- Designed and implemented an iPhone application that provides an appealing, interactive menu ordering system.
- Designed and implemented a custom operator web application that includes Google Maps for managing couriers and restaurant locations, and order processing functions.
- Met with and evaluated technical service providers and contractors.
Technologies: iOS, PHP, MySQL
Founder, President, Lead Architect/Developer
2010 - 2011
KMW Solutions
- Provided freelance software design and implementation consultation services to clients around the world.
- Worked on many projects across differing systems and languages: Windows GUI programs written in C++ using wxWidgets, OpenGL entertainment application (magic 8-ball simulation), Perl scripts, PHP scripts, iPhone, and iPad applications. KMW Solutions has eight applications on the App Store as of October 2011.
Technologies: Objective-C, iOS, PHP, Perl, OpenGL, C++
Graphics Architect
2001 - 2010
NVIDIA, Inc.
- Fulfilled the role of “practical visionary” by placing an emphasis on the design and implementation of working tools and systems significantly boosting productivity for large groups of engineers and architects throughout the company.
Principal Engineer
1999 - 2001
Believe, Inc.
- Led the architecture of core system software and architected software/hardware interfaces.
Technologies: Hardware, Software
Principal Engineer
1996 - 1999
3dfx Interactive, Inc.
- Developed for 3dfx’s engineering team.
- Worked with software, QA, hardware, marketing, and sales group members to design and to promote 3dfx’s products.
Technologies: Hardware, Quality Assurance (QA), Software
Principal Engineer
1994 - 1996
Rendition, Inc.
- Led technical projects for Rendition’s 2D graphics effort, including Microsoft Windows.
Technologies: Windows
Technical Lead
1992 - 1994
Kubota Graphics Corporation
- Led technical projects related to X Server for three of Kubota’s 3D graphics/imaging subsystems.
Workstation Systems Engineering
1990 - 1992
Digital Equipment Corporation
- Contributed to Advanced Technology Development’s core X Server group. Wrote and debugged X Server code for the DECStation 5000 workstation family’s 2D/3D graphics accelerator cards.
Technologies: Xcode Server
Unix Programmer
1985 - 1987
Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory
- Designed and implemented a font editor for the Versatec printer/plotter’s font files that allows the interactive creation, deletion, modification, and inspection of the glyphs in each font.
Experience
U.S. Patent #6,088,701
Command and data transport to a graphics processing device from a CPU performing write reordering operations. Granted 7/11/2000 while at 3dfx. Now owned by NVIDIA.
Education
1987 - 1989
Master's Degree in Computer Science
University of Washington - USA
1983 - 1987
Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science
U.C. Berkeley - USA
Skills
Libraries/APIs
React, Xcode Server, Standard Template Library (STL), DirectX, OpenGL
Tools
Microsoft Visual Studio, Xcode
Languages
C++, Perl, C, HTML5, Python, Objective-C, Lisp, PHP, JavaScript
Paradigms
Mobile Development
Platforms
Unix, Linux, Windows, iOS, MacOS
Frameworks
Django
Storage
MySQL
Other
X11, Mobile App Development, Embedded Software, CTO, Automation Tools, Scripting, Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), Software, Hardware, Quality Assurance (QA), LLVM, Networking, Concurrency, Front-end
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