The Centre for Heterogeneous Integrated MicroElectronic and Semiconductor Systems (CHIMES) will develop new ways to integrate ICs into smaller, faster and more energy-efficient systems.
The future lies in “Heterogeneous Integration” – combining different semiconductor technologies into highly integrated, secure systems.
CHIMES brings together researchers from the Universities of Cambridge, Oxford, Queen’s University Belfast, Strathclyde, Edinburgh, Newcastle, King’s College London, Manchester, and the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC).
CHIMES is funded by the Department for Science Innovation and Technology, delivered and monitored via UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
In partnership with the University of Southampton, Sheffield will co-develop a national “Design Commons” – a shared platform of system architectures, integration workflows and reusable design tools.
The Design Commons will support industry collaboration while also forming a core part of the UK’s semiconductor skills agenda, aligning with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology’s Semiconductor Talent Expansion Programmes to provide hands-on training in advanced system design.
The University of Sheffield’s leadership builds on its long-standing strength in semiconductor and microelectronic systems research (e.g. National Epitaxy Facility) as well as communication research (e.g. National Millimetre Wave Facility). By connecting materials discovery, device engineering and system-level design, CHIMES will help ensure that innovation developed in UK laboratories translates into globally competitive electronic systems.
Professor John Goodenough, Director of CHIMES² and Professor in the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the University of Sheffield, said: “This centre strengthens the UK’s capability to design the advanced electronic systems that will underpin future economic growth and technological resilience. By bringing together leading expertise from across the UK and embedding that capability into both industry collaboration and national skills programmes, we are building sustainable long-term impact.”
