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Andrew Yao
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Andrew Yao

Turing Award-winning theorist who built China’s top computer science programme

24 December 1946 China Verified by our editors
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79 yrs
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Andrew Yao is a Chinese computer scientist whose work on the theory of computation, including communication complexity and secure multi-party computation, earned him the Turing Award in 2000. He later left Princeton to found the elite “Yao Class” at Tsinghua University in Beijing.

Biography

Early life

Yao was born in Shanghai in 1946 and grew up in Taiwan. He studied physics at National Taiwan University and earned a PhD in physics from Harvard in 1972, then a second PhD in computer science from the University of Illinois in 1975.

Theory of computation

Yao introduced the minimax principle for analysing randomised algorithms, founded communication complexity — how much information two parties must exchange to compute something — and posed the “millionaires’ problem”, the starting point of secure multi-party computation, in which parties compute a result without revealing their private data.

Career in the US

He taught at MIT, Stanford, Berkeley and Princeton. The Turing Award in 2000 recognised his contributions to the theory of computation, including pseudorandom number generation and cryptography.

Return to China

In 2004 he moved to Tsinghua University, where he set up the Institute for Interdisciplinary Information Sciences and the Yao Class for top undergraduates, whose alumni include leading AI entrepreneurs. He renounced US citizenship in 2015 and joined the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Timeline

  1. 1946

    Born in Shanghai, China

  2. 1972

    PhD in physics from Harvard

  3. 1975

    PhD in computer science from Illinois

  4. 1979

    Introduces communication complexity

  5. 1982

    Poses the millionaires’ problem

  6. 2000

    Turing Award

  7. 2004

    Joins Tsinghua University

  8. 2021

    Kyoto Prize

Notable works

  • 1979

    Some complexity questions related to distributive computing Paper

  • 1982

    Protocols for secure computations Paper

Awards and honours

  • Knuth Prize

    1996

  • Turing Award

    2000

  • Kyoto Prize

    2021

Did you know?

  1. 1

    He holds doctorates in both physics and computer science.

  2. 2

    The Yao Class is one of China’s most selective university programmes.

  3. 3

    His millionaires’ problem asks how two people can find out who is richer without revealing their wealth.

Connections

Also born on 24 December

Frequently asked

Who is Andrew Yao?

Andrew Yao is a Chinese computer scientist whose work on the theory of computation, including communication complexity and secure multi-party computation, earned him the Turing Award in 2000. He later left Princeton to found the elite “Yao Class” at Tsinghua University in Beijing.

How old is Andrew Yao?

Andrew Yao is 79 years old, born on 24 December 1946 in Shanghai, China.

Where is Andrew Yao from?

Andrew Yao was born in Shanghai, China.

What is Andrew Yao known for?

Andrew Yao is best known for Yao’s minimax principle; communication complexity; secure computation; the Yao Class at Tsinghua; Turing Award 2000.

What awards has Andrew Yao received?

Notable honours include Knuth Prize (1996), Turing Award (2000), Kyoto Prize (2021).

References

  1. Andrew Yao — Wikipedia. Wikipedia. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
  2. Andrew Yao — Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
  3. Official website. iiis.tsinghua.edu.cn. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
  4. Andrew Yao (Q62888) — structured data. Wikidata. Retrieved 4 November 2026.

Includes material from the Wikipedia article “Andrew Yao”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. That text is available under the same licence. Learn more

External links

Official website Website Wikipedia
Filed under Complexity theoryCryptographyTsinghua UniversityTuring Award Computer ScientistProfessor

About this profile

Cite this page

“Andrew Yao.” TrackFame, last updated 5 November 2026. https://trackfame.com/person/andrew-yao

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