RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK – IBM is one of four tech giants awarded some $50 million in funding to drive development of “next generation: semiconductors from the National Science Foundation.
Intel, Samsung and Ericsson also will receive funding.
“A nationwide shortage in semiconductors, complicated by the global pandemic, has made it difficult for the chip industry to meet the increasing demand for chip-based products,” the NSF noted. “And while that demand is high in the U.S., only about 10% of the global supply of chips is produced nationally. Investments through this public-private partnership will help address this problem by spurring research and innovation leading to breakthroughs in semiconductor and microelectronics technologies, aiding the myriad applications that rely upon these devices.”
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The initiative is part of NSF’s Future of Semiconductors (FuSe) initiative.
“Future semiconductors and microelectronics will require transdisciplinary research spanning materials, devices, and systems, as well as the engagement of the full spectrum of talent in the academic and industrial sectors,” said NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan in the announcement. “Partnerships such as this are essential to inform research needs, spur innovation, accelerate the translation of results to the market, and prepare the future workforce.”
The NSF and its partners” cultivate a broad coalition of science and engineering researchers to pursue holistic, “co-design” approaches. By intentionally supporting researchers who are integrating materials, devices, architectures, systems, and applications, new semiconductor technology is designed and developed in an integrated way. Co-design approaches simultaneously consider the device/system performance, manufacturability, recyclability, and impact on the environment,” the NSF said.
Last year, NSF launched three other chip efforts focusing on chip-related workforce development:
- A partnership with Semiconductor Research Corporation
- A $10 million funding opportunity with Intel Corporation
- A $10 million partnership with Micron Technology, Inc.
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