It is an exciting time to be in the semiconductor industry and driving technology development which is fueling the intelligent, interconnected systems that will transform the way we work and live. Leading-edge chipmaking currently uses technologies that were considered impossible in the not too distant past. Here we are at a new innovation inflection point in computing capabilities. To keep pace with the increasing technology advances and continued development of smart systems, advanced research engagements with universities around the world are critical to driving fast cycles of learning, solving incredibly complex technical challenges and accelerating speed to solution.
We recently co-sponsored the Lam Research Tech Symposium with MIT.nano and MIT’s Microsystems Technology Laboratories (MTL). Now in its third year, Tech Symposium is our premiere forum for academic and industry collaboration to inspire attendees to innovate on industry grand challenges, share learning on advanced research between participants, strengthen industry and academic relationships to foster cross-institution collaboration, and educate and inspire students towards the semiconductor industry.
The event focused on “Smart Systems for Semiconductor Manufacturing” and featured keynote presentations, plenary talks, and discussion panels with esteemed professors from MIT, Stanford University, Tsinghua University and UC Berkeley, and executives from GLOBALFOUNDIES, HARTING Inc., Winbond Corporation, and Lam Research. The event also featured dynamic pitch presentations and a poster session with MIT and Tsinghua University graduate students on their research in the areas of materials and devices, manufacturing and processing, and machine learning and modeling.
New to the Tech Symposium was the Lam Capital Start-up Connection. In collaboration with the MIT Startup Exchange, which actively promotes connections between MIT-connected startups and industry, 11 entrepreneurs were invited to give short three-minute pitches. These presentations were judged by a panel of six seasoned venture capital investors from Atlantic Bridge, AtScale, In-Q-Tel, Intel Capital, Samsung Catalyst Fund and Tyche Partners. The winner of the competition, Secure AI Labs, is developing a secure data analytics platform that enables advanced analytics and machine learning applications for highly sensitive datasets. That winning proposal received a convertible note for their next round of funding provided by Lam Capital. HyperLight, a silicon photonics start-up, and Southie Autonomy, a robotics start-up, received honorable mentions, coming in second and third place, respectively.
“The most effective way to deliver innovative and lasting solutions is to combine our skills with others, working here on the MIT campus and beyond,” said Vladimir Bulović, faculty director of MIT.nano and the Fariborz Maseeh Chair in Emerging Technology. “The strength of this event was not only the fantastic mix of expertise and perspectives convened by Lam and MIT, but also the variety of opportunities it created for networking and connection.”
Special thanks to MIT.nano and MTL for co-hosting this year’s event and to all the participants working towards making the impossible, possible.