New institute set to redefine AI and semiconductor research at Purdue and beyond
The Institute of Chips and AI, launched on Nov. 19 in Mountain View, California, in the heart of Silicon Valley, is a pioneering initiative from the Purdue University College of Engineering and the next giant leap in redefining the future of semiconductor and AI research in these transformative fields.
At the forefront of chip design and artificial intelligence, the institute’s mission is to harness innovative chip technology to power the future of AI while leveraging AI itself to streamline and enhance chip design processes – not only driving cutting-edge advancements but also addressing the complexities and costs associated with developing state-of-the-art semiconductors. The institute will build on a legacy of groundbreaking projects such as the SRC/DARPA Center for Brain-Inspired Computing.
Two professors from Purdue's Elmore Family School of Electrical and Computer Engineering are co-directors of this newly established institute. Kaushik Roy is the Edward G. Tiedemann Jr. Distinguished Professor of ECE, and Anand Raghunathan is the Silicon Valley Professor of ECE. The initaitive is a cornerstone of Purdue Engineering's 150th anniversary, which focuses on semiconductors, AI and autonomy.
“The AI revolution began in 2012, fueled by advances in hardware, algorithms and data,” Roy said. “Today, as model sizes grow exponentially, energy demands are reaching critical limits. The synergy of AI-driven chip design and chips optimized for AI promises transformative leaps in cognitive computing.”
Purdue’s rich history of excellence in both AI and chip research led to the university creating the nation’s first comprehensive semiconductor degrees program two years ago to address the nation’s critical need to train thousands of new semiconductor engineers this decade. The result has been investments from the Department of Defense to lead SCALE, its largest program for microelectronics workforce development, and the decision by the No. 1 global producer of high-bandwidth memory chips, SK hynix, to invest $4 billion on Purdue land to build a new R&D and fabrication facility for advanced memory chips needed to power the next generation of AI processors. This marks the largest semiconductor production facility located at any U.S. university.
“The Institute of Chips and AI joins a host of other Purdue institutes and centers focused on building world-leading programs in physical AI and semiconductor development that reflect Purdue’s role as America’s semiconductor university,” said Arvind Raman, the John A. Edwardson Dean of Engineering. “These programs are inspiring Purdue’s efforts to make Indiana the Silicon Heartland.”
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