The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is investing $179 million to fund three new Microelectronics Science Research Centers over the next four years. These centers will focus on fundamental research in microelectronics materials, device and system design, and manufacturing science. The Microelectronics Energy Efficiency Research Center for Advanced Technologies (MEERCAT) is one of the three centers.
It will work on innovations across materials, devices, information-carrying, and systems architectures. The center will explore solutions that integrate sensing, edge processing, artificial intelligence, and high-performance computing. Sandia National Laboratories will be a founding member of MEERCAT.
They will lead one of the eight energy efficiency-related research projects within the center. Jeffrey Nelson of Sandia said, “We face an unprecedented microelectronics energy efficiency challenge. Computing alone is projected to consume a significant portion of the total planetary energy production within a decade.”
The second center, the Co-design and Heterogeneous Integration in Microelectronics for Extreme Environments (CHIME), will develop electronics that can operate in extreme environments.
This includes high-radiation, cryogenic, and high magnetic field conditions.
Doe’s microelectronics research funding
The center aims to create high-performance solutions that can withstand these challenging conditions.
The third center, the Extreme Lithography & Materials Innovation Center (ELMIC), will focus on fundamental science to drive the integration of new materials and processes into future microelectronic systems. Key research areas will include plasma-based nanofabrication, extreme UV photon sources, 2D-material systems, and extreme-scale memory. Sandia is also partnering on projects led by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Los Alamos National Laboratory.
These projects aim to enhance energy efficiency and withstand extreme environments, respectively. The surge in popularity of AI, alongside other energy-intensive technologies like quantum computing and advanced sensors, has created an urgent need for more efficient technologies. Nelson said, “Our center will provide industry with new, higher performance options for energy-efficient computing.”
The three new research centers will receive a total of $179 million for 16 multidisciplinary, fundamental research projects, each lasting up to four years.
They are funded through DOE’s Office of Science and authorized by the Micro Act, a component of the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022. This legislation has invested billions of dollars through multiple agencies to help companies build new plants for advanced semiconductors in the U.S. It also funds fundamental research to advance future semiconductor technologies. Nelson said, “We are working with companies to understand their problems and pulling experts together from across the DOE to solve these problems quickly.”
The research conducted at these centers will aim for long-term impacts in the field of microelectronics, with significant advancements anticipated in various areas including materials, devices, and systems’ architectures.
April Isaacs is a news contributor for DevX.com She is long-term, self-proclaimed nerd. She loves all things tech and computers and still has her first Dreamcast system. It is lovingly named Joni, after Joni Mitchell.
