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Cao Receives NSF CAREER Award for Big Data Research

Arizona State University’s Zhichao Cao has been honored with an NSF CAREER Award for his efforts to promote the future of big data.

Zhichao Cao, an assistant professor of computer science and engineering in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University, has received a 2025 Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award from the U.S. National Science Foundation for his innovative data storage solutions. Image Credit: Erika Gronek/ASU

Construction teams in southeastern Mesa, Arizona, are developing a state-of-the-art data center as part of a $1 billion project set to launch in 2026. Spanning nearly 2.5 million square feet—equivalent to more than 43 football fields—the facility will expand Meta’s computing infrastructure to meet the growing demands of digital data management.

In an era where every text message, phone call, and online interaction generates vast amounts of data, the need for advanced storage and processing capabilities continues to rise. The Meta Mesa Data Center reflects this increasing demand, particularly as artificial intelligence (AI) accelerates the need for both expanded capacity and improved energy efficiency.

Zhichao Cao, an assistant professor of computer science and engineering at Arizona State University’s School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, is investigating next-generation data storage system enhancements. His research focuses on improving the sustainability, resource management, and operational efficiency of large-scale facilities like the Meta Mesa Data Center.

In recognition of his contributions to innovative data storage solutions, Cao has been awarded a 2025 Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF).

Valuable New Solutions for Key-Value Stores

Over the past fifty years, data centers have undergone significant transformations. Traditionally, these facilities consisted of large-scale banks of homogeneous file servers—high-powered computers working in unison to execute computing tasks.

Cao explained, “But we found out that using homogeneous servers for different kinds of jobs and applications can waste resources and sometimes not be sustainable. Some types of data analysis require a lot of processing power but don’t need high-performance storage systems. These systems, or databases, need tons of storage but not powerful CPUs or GPUs.

Modern data centers are shifting toward a disaggregated architecture, where storage, CPU and GPU processing, and memory—responsible for storing essential system instructions—exist as independent resource pools. This approach enables engineers to allocate computing resources more efficiently, minimizing waste and improving sustainability.

Cao’s research leverages this evolving infrastructure by designing advanced data management strategies tailored to disaggregated data centers. His work focuses on persistent key-value storage systems, where data is structured as key-value pairs. A key, such as a social security number or phone number, is a unique identifier that allows for rapid retrieval of corresponding values.

These storage systems are designed for long-term data retention, ensuring data persistence even during power failures.

Given the immense energy and water consumption of data centers, Cao’s research also prioritizes optimizing resource efficiency. Historically, system design in computing prioritized processing speed with little consideration for power consumption—faster execution was always the goal. However, not all workloads require maximum processing speed.

It is good to start redesigning existing data systems for the new data center architecture, focusing more on the tradeoff between performance and sustainability. We are redesigning the persistent key-value stores to make them more efficient and provide very precise control. This allows those stores to scale up or down as needed when tasks require more processing or more storage,” Cao stated.

Preparing the Students of Today for Tomorrow’s Data

Cao will utilize the five-year award to train the next generation of scientists and computer engineers, equipping them with the expertise to drive future advancements in data management and computing infrastructure.

A key aspect of his project involves enhancing educational programs and expanding research opportunities. In response to emerging developments in the field, Cao has already updated the curriculum for several courses at the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, including CSE 330: Operating Systems and CSE 511: Data Processing at Scale, ensuring students are exposed to cutting-edge methodologies.

Beyond curriculum updates, Cao aims to strengthen research engagement pathways for students. He plans to expand his winter undergraduate research camp into a more comprehensive summer program, providing hands-on experience in advanced computing topics.

Additionally, he will collaborate with ASU’s Center for Cybersecurity and Trusted Foundations to create STEM outreach opportunities for K–12 students, fostering an early interest in computing and data science.

According to Ross Maciejewski, director of the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, Cao’s contributions play a pivotal role in advancing both the research and educational missions of the Fulton Schools.

This award is an important acknowledgment of Zhichao’s ability to deliver big innovations in cloud computing, large-scale artificial intelligence services, and scientific computing.

Ross Maciejewski, Ira A. Fulton Professor, Arizona State University

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