HESL, originally known as Centre for High ​Performance Embedded Systems (CHiPES), was established by the School of Computer Engineering (SCE) at the Nanyang Technological University in April 1998 to promote research and development in embedded systems engineering using state-of-the-art VLSI CAD tools and technology. CHiPES became an inter-school centre in February 2000 and is supported by the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering. In 2005, it has been incorporated into the Intelligent Devices and Systems (IDeAS) cluster, comprising of competency centers in high performance embedded systems (CHiPES), intelligent machines (CIM), micro-systems (CMMS), robotics (RRC), computational intelligence (C2I), human factors and ergonomics (CHFE) and integrated circuits and systems (CICS). 

Mission:
HESL will undertake use-inspired Basic research into novel algorithms and their architectural translations to innovate embedded solutions. The lab will undertake basic research into Future Design Methodologies for shorter time-to-market (TTM) and lower non-recurring engineering costs (NRE) to realize high-productivity embedded systems suitable for mass volume manufacturing. The lab will serve as a knowledge base to facilitate state-of-art training in Embedded Systems Engineering through active participation in industrial projects and the use of advanced CAD tools and process technology.

Objectives:
The major goals of HESL are hardware acceleration, reconfigurable computing, architectural translation of complex algorithms, system integration and design methodologies for constraint-aware embedded computing. At present, focus groups at HESL perform R&D in the following key areas: Design Methodologies, Embedded Software, Reconfigurable Computing, Vision Enabled Sensing and Secure Embedded Systems. ​​