Academic chip research tends to die in the gap between a clever design and a wafer that actually gets made. Purdue University wants to narrow that gap. It has signed a master research agreement with GlobalFoundries, building on a partnership the two announced in November 2022.
One framework instead of many deals
Under the agreement, Purdue says, new research projects can start quickly and efficiently rather than being negotiated one at a time. Mark Lundstrom, the John A. Edwardson Dean of the College of Engineering, called it “a significant milestone” and said it gives researchers on both sides a streamlined way to work on shared interests. Over the past year the two have already begun joint work on semiconductor technologies, AI hardware, silicon photonics and chip security.
Lundstrom pitched the deal as a model for public-private partnerships that cover technology, workforce development and the student pipeline. It also sits inside Purdue Computes, the university’s broader initiative built on four pillars: computing departments, physical AI, quantum science and semiconductor innovation.
Access to real silicon
GlobalFoundries makes specialized integrated circuits for fabless customers, meaning companies that design chips but own no fabrication plants. Its products go into automotive, aerospace and defense, data centers, smart mobile devices and the Internet of Things.
The detail that matters for the university is access. Students and faculty get GlobalFoundries’ differentiated technologies and engineering support, and they can take their chip designs to manufacturing through the company’s multi-project wafer runs. A design that is fabricated can be tested on real hardware, which a simulation cannot offer.
Students in the fab
The agreement opens work on chip design and development to undergraduate and graduate students, alongside faculty and industry engineers. The groundwork exists already. Since 2023, GlobalFoundries has hosted students from Purdue’s Summer Training, Awareness, and Readiness for Semiconductors program at its U.S. headquarters and fabrication facility, where they see how their coursework in manufacturing and packaging translates to production.
“Collaboration between industry and academia is essential to advancing semiconductor innovation and developing the skilled workforce that will power the next generation of technology,” said Gregg Bartlett, GlobalFoundries’ chief technology officer. Purdue, for its part, says it was the first U.S. university to launch a full set of interdisciplinary semiconductor and microelectronics degrees and credentials, aimed at both graduate and undergraduate students.
Sources
- Purdue, GlobalFoundries expand partnership with master research agreement
- Purdue Announces Master Research Agreement
- Purdue expands GlobalFoundries partnership to advance chip research, training
Photo: UC Davis College of Engineering (CC BY 2.0)
