As early career researchers supported by modest grants from the National Science Foundation, we modeled the expected effects of semiconductor scaling trends on computer architectures and built compiler infrastructure to optimize for inevitable heterogeneity in computer architecture. This early work inspired the vision for the UT-TRIPS project, which was subsequently funded by the U.S. Department of Defense, the University of Texas at Austin, multiple computer companies, and a private foundation. This partnership enabled our team to develop novel computer architectures and compiler technologies that demonstrated the viability of highly parallel chip designs that were composed of distributed processing and memory systems components. This article traces the history and ultimate impact of the project.