US chip gear giant launches initiative in Singapore for power-efficient AI data centres

Applied Materials, the largest US maker of chip-manufacturing equipment, launched an initiative to bring together firms from across the semiconductor industry in Singapore to accelerate technologies for energy-efficient computing.

The initiative – named Equipment and Process Innovation and Commercialisation (EPIC) Advanced Packaging Platform – will encourage alliances between equipment makers, material providers, device companies, and research institutes.

The partnerships will focus on accelerating the commercialisation of advanced chip-packaging technologies that promise more energy-efficient system performance.

Data centres worldwide are struggling to meet the immense computational demands of artificial intelligence (AI) and generative AI (GenAI) workloads, straining power grids.

In a recent report, consultant Gartner predicted a 160 per cent increase in data centre energy consumption over the next two years, driven by AI and GenAI.

Applied Materials said the dramatic rise in the number of connected devices and the emergence of AI are creating tremendous growth opportunities for the chip industry. But the industry is also confronting several challenges, foremost of which is the exponential increase in energy consumption fuelled by the intense computing power required to support the growth of AI.

In response, chipmakers and system designers are increasingly turning to advanced packaging – integration of separately manufactured chips – to achieve more energy-efficient performance.

However, the need to develop multiple technologies simultaneously creates challenges for computer and software system designers, who must navigate a complex array of solution paths and packaging methods.

This increased complexity adds additional risk, time, and cost to chipmakers, said Applied Materials. Hence, there is a clear need for increased collaboration across this complicated ecosystem.

To kick off the initiative, Applied Materials convened more than two dozen top research and development (R&D) leaders from the semiconductor industry and research institutes at a summit held at the Grand Hyatt Singapore on 19 Nov.

Dr Prabu Raja, the Santa Clara-based president of the semiconductor products group at Applied Materials, said the firm’s strategy with the Epic Advanced Packaging Platform is to drive co-innovation and change the way foundational packaging technologies are developed and commercialised.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong said the Epic platform will enable Singapore to participate in the innovation of new chip architectures, materials, and processes.

This will benefit not only Applied Materials, but the country’s semiconductor ecosystem as well.

He gave the example of two local companies that stand to benefit from the research initiative – ACE United Technologies and PBA Group – which have been partnering Applied Materials to develop solutions for advanced packaging.

ACE United is a local enterprise, specialising in precision machining of semiconductor parts and components, while PBA Group specialises in direct drive motor design and manufacturing, motion control, and precision modular assemblies.

DPM Gan told the summit that the initiative will also enrich Singapore’s research ecosystem.

“It will provide an avenue for our researchers to acquire experience, knowledge, and capabilities as they engage with globally leading semiconductor players and contribute to foundational research for next-generation tools,” he said.

“This will enable them to gain early insights into the requirements of the industry at the product development stage and help accelerate research and commercialisation.”

He said the initiative is in line with Singapore’s Research, Innovation, and Enterprise 2025 efforts to drive Singapore’s transformation as a knowledge-based, innovation-driven economy.

Singapore is also investing S$180 million to establish a National Semiconductor Translation and Innovation Centre that will provide companies and researchers with the infrastructure and support for R&D, prototyping, and small-volume manufacturing.

Applied Materials said the new Epic advanced packaging initiative is an expansion of its global platform, which will be spearheaded by the Epic Centre, currently under construction in Silicon Valley, California.

Participants in the initiative will use facilities at the Centre of Excellence in Advanced Packaging in Singapore – a joint venture between the Agency for Science, Technology and Research’s (A*Star) Institute of Microelectronics (IME) and Applied Materials.

The semiconductor companies that participated in the summit were Absolics, Advantest, Ajinomoto Fine-Techno, AMD, Amkor, Besi, Broadcom, Chipletz, EV Group, Intel, Kioxia, Micron, NXP, Resonac, Samsung, SK Hynix, Synopsys, TSMC, Ushio, and Western Digital.

Institutes and universities at the summit were A*Star’s IME, Singapore Economic Development Board, National University of Singapore, and Singapore Institute of Technology.

Singapore is a critical node in the global semiconductor supply chain, contributing one in 10 chips and one in five pieces of semiconductor equipment produced annually.

Today, the industry contributes more than 8 per cent of Singapore’s gross domestic product.

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