Audrey A. Helffrich

Leader of the hardware strategy for IBM's early 1990s transition from bipolar to CMOS microprocessors on its largest mainframes, Helffrich is credited with helping to save the mainframe and keeping the Poughkeepsie site alive. She has served as an IBM Fellow in Systems and Technology Group and was elected a member of the IBM Academy in 2000. She is quoted as saying "It was sure a pivotal time; the successful ending of the standard chips, called bipolar, and replacement with ones built with 'complementary metal oxide semiconductors.'" Despite downsizing, the Poughkeepsie site remained home to about 5,800 IBMers.

She grew up in Allentown, PA, and had always enjoyed math and science. When she entered Lehigh University, Helffrich ventured into computer logic and soon got hooked, receiving a B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering with a minor in History from Lehigh University in 1978 and her M.S. degree in Computer Engineering from Syracuse University in 1986.

She began her career as a hardware developer on the S/390 3090 platform and broadened her experience in a variety of positions including those in Engineering System Test, System Design, Operating System (MVS) Systems Test, Central Processor Architecture, I/O Processor Microcode, Product Planning and Management. Helffrich served as a key technical leader in many aspects of the S/390 Parallel Sysplex Clustering definition and development and held responsibility for high performance interconnects, including the planned development rollout of InfiniBand Technology across the IBM eServer product line. She also served as the Development Leadership Transformation liaison to Rod Adkins.

In 2004, she was awarded an IBM Fellow designation—a high honor given to a few scientists each year by IBM. It is IBM's most prestigious technical honor, recognizing "outstanding and sustained technical achievements in engineering, programming, science and technology." As of 2004, only 180 individuals had been named in the past 41 years, of which 59 were active employees.