Jump to the main content block
:::
:::

NCKU Partners with TU Darmstadt on AI IC Innovations in the Post-Moore Law Era

Written by Hsu Tsu-Yueh. Image credit to News Center.
 
As the world sees urgent demands for high performance computing chips in the Post-Moore Law ear, NCKU and the Technische Universität Darmstadt (TU Darmstadt) launched a project of the first International Joint Research Lab (IJRL). The letter of intent was signed on March 17, by Jen-Sue Chen(陳貞夙教授), the Distinguished Professor of NCKU Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering, and Prof. Lambert Alff, Professor of TU Darmstadt’s Materials Science Department.
 
01
Signing ceremony of agreement between NCKU and TU Darmstadt Asia Office to collaborate to facilitate AI IC development
(Left to right: TU Darmstadt Vice-President Dr. Thomas Walther, TU Darmstadt Materials Science Dept. Prof Lambert Alff, NCKU Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering Distinguished Prof. Jen-Sue Chen, NCKU Vice President for International Affairs Charles Lin)
 
This IJRL project will be empowered by the capability of electronic materials and neuromorphic technologies in NCKU and TU Darmstadt, to develop the novel materials for future high performance AI chips, opening up a new chapter of artificial intelligence-based integrated circuits in the Post-Moore Law Era.
 
The development of Taiwan's semiconductor industry is gaining attention worldwide, and this international partnership in cutting-edge technology laboratory attracts high anticipation from all. The signing ceremony on March 17th are attended by some distinguished guests, including Dr. Jörg Polster, Director General of the German Institute Taipei and Dr. Josef Goldberger, the director of German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).
 
02
Research teams from NCKU and TU Darmstadt to collaborate through the International Joint Research Labs (IJRLs), exploring new possibilities in the Post Moore Law Era
 
Dr. Polster had attended several international-level forums on cutting-edge technology in recent days, including the Semiconductor Forum where Morris Chang, founder of TSMC, and Chris Miller, the author of Chip War, exchanged their insights on semiconductor industry, and the 2023 Taiwan Sustainable Summit jointly held by Taiwan and German partners with strong support from the technology giant Siemens. Dr. Polster profoundly understands that cutting-edge technology is the solution to helping the Earth and improving human life, and was pleased to endorse NCKU and TU Darmstadt partnership in the semiconductor industry.
 
03
TU Darmstadt Vice-President Dr. Thomas Walther and representatives of TU Darmstadt visited NCKU on March 17, strengthening and expanding the bilateral collaboration
 
Mr. Chi-Yung Lin(林繼勇), the Director of Merck KGaA Kaohsiung and also a NCKU alumnus, noted that the global headquarter office of Merck KGaA and TU Darmstadt are both located in the city of Darmstadt, with an everlasting academic-industry collaboration, standing respectively as remarkable technology company and university of Germany. Merck made extensive investment to set up semiconductor site in Kaohsiung, holding positive expectations towards future Taiwan-Germany industrial ad academic collaborations.
 
“TU Darmstadt has partnered with NCKU for over thirty years and NCKU is our oldest partner in Taiwan,” said Dr. Thomas Walther, TU Darmstadt Vice-President for Innovation and International Affairs. “We look forward to further develop the research collaboration on artificial intelligence and gerontology with NCKU, as well as to introduce more international programs , such as the EU Erasmus+ Program, with our Liaison Office in NCKU.”
 
04
TU Darmstadt Vice-President Dr. Thomas Walther (middle) taking photo with NCKU Executive Vice-President Dr. Woei-Jer Chuang (third from left) in the TU Darmstadt Asia Office
 
The NCKU-TU Darmstadt partnership was initiated in 1987, and the TU Darmstadt Asia Office was launched at NCKU in 2019, as the first office by a German university in Taiwan. Prof. Charles Lin, NCKU Vice President for International Affairs, noted that the TU Darmstadt Asia Office has made a great contribution to the partnership, by fostering local connections and facilitating the international development of the two universities in terms of teaching and research. The collaboration spans across diverse disciplines, including physics, space science, mechanics, material science, civil engineering, architecture, hydraulics, and electrical engineering. The addition of the IJRLs project aims to achieve a further collaboration for the NCKU-TU Darmstadt partnership.
 
05
During the visiting period of Prof. Lambert Alff (third from left), NCKU held a workshop, organized by Jen-Sue Chen (third from right), Distinguished Professor of NCKU Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering, and Chao-Yu Chen, Director of NCKU Instrument Center
 
The NCKU-TU Darmstadt partnership was initiated in 1987, and the TU Darmstadt Asia Office was launched at NCKU in 2019, as the first office by a German university in Taiwan. Prof. Charles Lin, NCKU Vice President for International Affairs, noted that the TU Darmstadt Asia Office has made a great contribution to the partnership, by fostering local connections and facilitating the international development of the two universities in terms of teaching and research. The collaboration spans across diverse disciplines, including physics, space science, mechanics, material science, civil engineering, architecture, hydraulics, and electrical engineering. The addition of the IJRLs project aims to achieve a further collaboration for the NCKU-TU Darmstadt partnership.
 
NCKU-TUDa Workshop on Memristor Technology -from material to energy efficient computing
 
In addition to a visit to NCUK College of Science and NCKU Center for Quantum Frontier of Research and Technology (QFort), the TU Darmstadt representatives also joined the “NCKU-TUDa Workshop on Memristor Technology - from material to energy efficient computing” on March 14 to 16, wit for a discussion with the experts in electronic materials and neuromorphic technologies. A vibrant collaboration in research and teaching is highly anticipated.
 
The workshop was organized by Jen-Sue Chen(陳貞夙教授), Distinguished Professor of NCKU Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering, and Chao-Yu Chen(陳昭宇教授), Director of NCKU Instrument Center. The workshop explored the development of artificial intelligent and 5G technologies, which is moving towards combining edge-computing and big data analysis, and advancing neuromorphic AI chips, a transformation from “automation” into “smart automation”.
 
The workshop was attended by 24 researchers from Taiwan, Germany, and Spain, with expertise in the memristive materials, physics patterns, circuit structures, sensing devices as well as analysis in fine materials of memristors. Through trans-national and interdisciplinary (material science, electrical engineering, information science, physics) interactions, opportunities for innovative developments of the hardware architecture of high-performance neuromorphic chips have been explored.
                                                                                                        
The workshop was with an audience of professors and students from the Colleges of Engineering, Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, Science, and Academy of Innovative Semiconductor and Sustainable Manufacturing.
 
 
Provider: NCKU News Center
Date: 2023-03-28
Click Num: