GLOBALFOUNDRIES signed a MOU with Singapore’s Institute of Microelectronics (IME) and Masdar Institute of Science and Technology of Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, Nov. 26, to set up an Abu Dhabi-Singapore Twin Lab. The Twin Lab will aim to advance electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) technologies for automotive, aerospace, consumer, healthcare, environmental monitoring, industrial and mobility applications.
The announcement was made at the 7th convening of the Abu Dhabi-Singapore Joint Forum (ADJSF) hosted in Singapore at the Marina Bay Sands Expo Convention Centre. The total funding pledged was US $21 million for three years.
The Twin Lab is a unique collaborative effort between research institutions and industry with GLOBALFOUNDRIES as the industrial partner. GLOBALFOUNDRIES will serve as an overall program manager, as well as manufacturing partner for the Twin Lab. The partnership will help GLOBALFOUNDRIES to expand its IP portfolio to address MEMS high-volume manufacturing at effective cost levels and capacity to serve the fast growing MEMS market.
As the academic partner, Abu Dhabi’s Masdar Institute will develop device designs based on market requirements and the Institute of Microelectronics Singapore will serve as the research institute for the execution of design concepts. GLOBALFOUNDRIES will work closely with ATIC and EDB to bring these concepts into realization.
The initial areas of focus for the Twin Lab will include MEMS inertial sensors, energy harvesters, nano-opto-mechanical sensors, and ultrasonic transducers. The collaboration is intended to deliver capabilities that can mitigate power issues in high performance devices, such as automobile, industrial and autonomous wireless sensor nodes. It is also expected to improve sensitivity and accuracy for effective detection in healthcare, aerospace and industry applications.
“We are pleased to be in a strategic and mutually beneficial collaboration with the renowned research institutes from Singapore and Abu Dhabi,” said Mr. K. C. Ang, Senior Vice President and General Manager of GLOBALFOUNDRIES Singapore. “This joint partnership will enable us to harness their R&D capabilities to create innovative technologies that will further solidify and strengthen our foundation in MEMS manufacturing.”
