ATIC cash draws chip research to Abu Dhabi

LONDON – The Semiconductor Research Corp. (SRC) has announced it is extending its university research partnership to serve the needs of technology ecosystem in Abu Dhabi. Under the agreement SRC member companies will conduct research in Abu Dhabi, sponsored by the Advanced Technology Investment Company (ATIC).

Abu Dhabi is becoming a significant player in the semiconductor industry through its majority ownership and funding of foundry GlobalFoundries Inc. (Milpitas, Calif.) and it has previously stated its intention to bring semiconductor manufacturing to the emirate. The Advanced Technology Investment Company (ATIC), the parent of GlobalFoundries, was created in 2008 as a technology investment company wholly-owned by the government of Abu Dhabi.

Under the terms of the partnership ATIC will sponsor university research in Abu Dhabi focused on low-power microelectronic applications. As part of the agreement, SRC and its member companies will increase their research activities in Abu Dhabi in partnership with key Abu Dhabi education institutions. The announcement follows a conference co-hosted by SRC and ATIC in Abu Dhabi – the MEES Forum – that was focused on the development of minimum-energy electronic systems.

The value of the sponsorship and the period over which it would be offered were not disclosed by SRC or ATIC.

"For almost 30 years, the semiconductor industry has been sponsoring precompetitive basic research at universities," said SRC president Larry Sumney, in a statement. "As the semiconductor industry has expanded globally, the sponsorship of basic research has spread beyond U.S. borders to Europe and Asia. Now that the semiconductor industry is active in the Middle East, it is natural for SRC to establish a relationship with ATIC in Abu Dhabi."

"The development of Abu Dhabi as a hub for leading-edge semiconductor capabilities, research and development is enabling the emirate to realize its vision to diversify its economy away from dependency on oil and gas," said Sami Issa, ATIC's executive director responsible for Abu Dhabi ecosystem development, in the same statement. "ATIC is working on developing an R&D ecosystem for advanced technology, and our partnership with SRC is a definitive step in this direction."


Related links and articles:

www.src.org

www.advancedtechnologyic.com