ABQ Times

Sandia National Laboratories is joining forces with other research institutions to tackle a potential energy crisis linked to the increasing demand for microelectronics. This collaboration involves the creation of three new Microelectronics Science Research Centers by the Department of Energy's Office of Science, aiming to enhance energy efficiency in computing.

Jeffrey Nelson from Sandia highlighted the urgency of this initiative: "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 focus is on developing solutions that integrate sensing, edge processing, artificial intelligence, and high-performance computing.

One of these centers, named the Microelectronics Energy Efficiency Research Center for Advanced Technologies (MEERCAT), will be co-founded by Sandia. The center aims to provide industry with innovative options for energy-efficient computing. Nelson stated, "Our center will provide industry with new, higher performance options for energy-efficient computing."

Sandia will lead one of eight research projects at MEERCAT and collaborate on additional projects focusing on extreme environments with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Los Alamos National Laboratory.

The rising popularity of AI and other technologies like quantum computing has led to increased energy demands. To address this issue, $179 million has been allocated for 16 multidisciplinary research projects over four years. These are funded under the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022's Micro Act.

Nelson emphasized their collaborative approach: "We are working with companies to understand their problems and pulling experts together from across the DOE to solve these problems quickly."

A project titled “Nano-Scale Research Center for Heterogeneous Integration Platforms” was proposed by lab leads and collaborators. It aims to use existing infrastructure and expertise from DOE user facilities and partnering institutions to incorporate new materials into standard silicon processes.

With support from Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, MIT, and MIT Lincoln Laboratory, this project focuses on heterogeneous integration—using various materials in computer chips while maintaining seamless electron flow.

Sandia's collaboration seeks breakthroughs that could significantly improve computer chip energy efficiency. Nelson concluded: "By collaborating across multiple national laboratories and universities, our goal is really to accelerate the innovation discovery process and make a positive impact on economic and national security."