IEEE Micro Special Issue on Top Picks from the 2025 Computer Architecture Conferences

IEEE Micro will publish its annual “Top Picks from the Computer Architecture Conferences” issue in September/October 2026. This issue collects some of the most significant research papers in computer architecture based on novelty and potential for long-term impact. Any computer architecture paper published in the top conferences of 2025 (including MICRO-58) is eligible. Each Top Picks submission must be based on a single paper, not a combination of multiple papers. The Top Picks Selection Committee will recognize those significant and insightful papers that have the potential to influence the work of computer architects for years to come.

Important Dates

• Submission website opens: October 27, 2025
• Submission deadline: December 20, 2025
• Author notification: April 1, 2026
• Author revision due: May 15, 2026
• Publication: September/October 2026

Eligibility
Eligible submissions include papers that make substantial contributions to computer architecture published in 2025 at the following conference venues:
Core Computer Architecture Venues: ASPLOS, ISCA, MICRO, HPCA.
Related and Cross-Disciplinary Venues:  MLSys, SC, PACT, ISPASS, IISWC, ICLR, NeurIPS, CVPR, SOSP, OSDI, IEEE S&P, USENIX ATC, NSDI, and NDSS.

Papers from these venues must demonstrate clear and substantial contributions to computer architecture; submissions without such focus may be desk-rejected at the discretion of the PC Chairs.
For papers originating from other venues, authors must obtain prior approval from the Selection Committee Chairs before submission.

Submission Guidelines
To simplify reviewing, there is a mandatory format for submissions. Authors will need to upload the following two documents:

1. A three-page (including all references), two-column document using 10-point type. The first two pages should summarize the paper. The third page should argue for the potential of the work to have long-term impact, clearly articulating why and how it will influence other researchers and/or industry.
2. The final version of the original conference paper.

Submissions that do not follow this format will not be reviewed. The first document should contain the names of the authors with a footnote that includes the title of the original conference paper, the full name of the conference, and date of publication.

Please submit here: https://toppicks2026.hotcrp.com

Accepted Paper Guidelines
Authors of accepted papers will receive further instructions on how to prepare the final papers to conform to IEEE Micro‘s guidelines. Final papers should not exceed 6,000 words including no more than 12 references and short bios of authors, with each average-size figure counting as 250 words toward this limit. Papers must have at least 30 percent new content. Final papers will be reviewed again before publication and edited for structure, style, clarity, and readability.

Guest Editors (and Selection Committee Chair and Vice Chair)
Nam Sung Kim (Chair), University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign
Yingyan (Celine) Lin (Vice Chair), Georgia Tech
Contact the guest editors at MicroToppicks2026 <microtoppicks2026@gmail.com>