Work to push the limits of miniaturization of semiconductors, so-called ‘More-than-Moore research, is thriving in academia. To innovate in this field, it is necessary to experiment with different technologies and therefore IP, but the cost of IP licensing is often a concern for researchers. Kyoto University is successfully using the Arm Academic Access (AAA) program to underpin their own ‘More-than-Moore’ research.
The relentless miniaturization of semiconductors, driven by the so-called ‘Moore's Law,’ is now said to be reaching its limits1. In response, a global movement is underway to develop ‘More-than-Moore’ technology, unlocking innovation by adding new functionality to semiconductors. This approach integrates different types of devices such as sensors and Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) into integrated circuits to build capabilities that were not possible in the past. Professor Kiichi Niitsu of Kyoto University's Graduate School of Informatics is leading this ‘More-than-Moore’ trend. He aims to create chemical-integrated devices by combining semiconductors with materials chemistry. See Figure 1 below.
Prof. Niitsu is a researcher known for the development of ‘self-powered ultra-compact IoT tags.’ These can be applied in biofuel cell-powered smart contact lenses for blood glucose monitoring. He is also the Principal Investigator (PI) for a sensing technology adopted for the ‘Structuring Spatiotemporal Environmental Information in the Body Using In-body Cybernetic Avatars’ project. This is part of the Moonshot R&D Program led by the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST). His work now focuses on chemical-integrated devices, expanding the scope of R&D from the twin approaches of 'integrating chemistry on a chip' and 'integrating chemical elements' to biosensor integrated circuits and their application to biomedical IoT with wireless communication capabilities.
However, sustaining such cutting-edge R&D at a national university with limited budget and resources is not easy. The Arm Academic Access program is proving to be an invaluable asset to enable Prof. Niitsu and his team to thrive. We spoke to him to find out more.
With limited funding available, researchers are constantly struggling to leverage existing IP to advance R&D for More-than-Moore devices. Prof. Niitsu explains the current situation in academia as follows: "In taking on the challenge of developing semiconductor devices based on bold ideas that are not extensions of conventional technologies, we aim to meet the requirements for essential components such as basic operations and caches by using IP cores that have been tested and proven extensively in the real world and thereby become the de-facto standard. To progress to the next level in my lab, we would rather focus on R&D in edge areas such as bio-CMOS chips and bio-sensing. However, in order to join the commercial ecosystem associated with each semiconductor manufacturer and access its IP, there is a risk that we incur significant and perhaps prohibitive licensing costs."Unlike physical lab equipment and measuring instruments, IP is an invisible asset, making it difficult to get people to understand its importance
Figure 1: Prof. Niitsu's study case for realizing chemical-integrated devices by integrating semiconductor devices with material chemistry (supplied by the author).
Even if you manage to submit a budget request to the university, it is not always approved in the way you might hope or expect. "Unlike physical lab equipment and measuring instruments, IP is an invisible asset, making it difficult to get people to understand its importance," Niitsu explains.
As a result, lab members have to develop even the most basic components corresponding with existing IP cores, wasting a lot of time and resource. In the highly competitive global market for ‘More-than-Moore’ devices, this diversion of effort could fatally flaw the project with intolerable delays.
This phenomenon affects students the most profoundly as they are only in the lab for a limited time. "In particular, Masters students are often forced to enter the workforce with experience solely in re-developing basic IP that is already well established. We were looking for a better solution to somehow break this negative cycle," says Niitsu.
It was in this context that Prof. Niitsu came to know about Arm Academic Access.
Arm already offers a subscription-based commercial program for companies called Arm Flexible Access. In SoC (System-on-a-Chip) development, it is typically necessary to have a license agreement for each piece of IP used. However, Arm Flexible Access allows users to freely browse a portfolio, then download and use whatever IP is most relevant, all for a fixed annual fee. Companies can therefore design SoCs on a trial-and-error basis, confident that the model allows for unlimited experimentation. Once companies get to tape-out and manufacture, then royalty fees apply.
For universities, even a low fixed annual licensing fee could be an impediment, so it is excellent that the entirely free Arm Academic Access program exists specifically for our and other university and research institution use cases. Two different packages of IP are available on an ongoing basis, Foundation and Mainstream, allowing researchers to experiment extensively at their appropriate level. The IP can be used for education and training as well as research, and as of January 2024 more than 120 institutions have joined the program worldwide.
I immediately had access to Arm's portfolio and downloaded some IP to try out, and was again surprised at how sophisticated and easy to use the interface is. It also works well with EDA tools from the major foundries, allowing us to move forward with our designs with confidence
Students who become familiar with Arm IP through research and education can go out into the world, confident in the knowledge that they can put skills to work in a commercial setting straight away. In Japan, university-based ventures have started to multiply in recent years. "We expect their work to migrate from pure research to commercialization, resulting in new innovations. I think Arm Academic Access is also an investment in the future – as there is a smooth way for academics to move to a dedicated start-up tier of Arm Flexible Access at the right moment."
In terms of the practical application of R&D, Prof. Niitsu recognizes that it is also important for companies and users of products to be able to take advantage of a wide ecosystem. This especially includes software. His lab has benefited greatly from using Arm Academic Access. "We had considered using IP published and offered by various semiconductor companies, but Arm is the only company with such an outstanding track record for energy-saving, low-power, high-reliability technologies with ecosystems that are essential to the area of chemical-integrated devices we are working on today. I immediately had access to Arm's portfolio and downloaded some IP to try out, and was again surprised at how sophisticated and easy to use the interface is. It also works well with EDA tools from the major foundries, allowing us to move forward with our designs with confidence," notes Prof. Niitsu. And he stresses, "With the Arm IP at our disposal, we can now focus on the edge area as our original research topic."
You will learn many things firsthand, including what really great IP is and how much you will benefit from it when designing SoCs.
The use of Arm Academic Access seems to have a significant impact not only on research activities, but also on education. "You will learn many things firsthand, including what really great IP is and how much you will benefit from it when designing SoCs. And the interaction with international organizations enabled via the program will help you improve your development skills. These experiences and development achievements are very valuable and hard to find elsewhere, and will definitely help you when you go out into the world and become a researcher or engineer in a company," says Prof. Niitsu.
Looking at our semiconductor industry, the days when Japan dominated the global logic semiconductor and memory markets are becoming a distant memory. However, there remains a chance for the Japanese semiconductor industry to make a comeback. One such example is the ‘More-than-Moore’ SoC, which implements innovative and outstanding technologies symbolized by the chemical-integrated devices that Prof. Niitsu is researching and developing.
Niitsu explains: "What is required is not only the development of specific elementary technologies, but also the overall development capability to plan systems in line with objectives, perform PoC, collect and analyze data, feed learnings back into the design for improvement and finally to demonstrate use cases." Arm Academic Access is a powerful platform for refining and extending these capabilities.
"A university lab like ours cannot compete with the research labs of large foundries on its own. However, we are confident that we can compete in the areas of self-powered operation, ultra-low power consumption and their application to new business propositions. In addition, having Arm's broad range of IP at our disposal is like having the same tools as the professionals. Just like the best paint and canvas in the world of painting. So what we have ahead of us is a pure battle of ideas. Then we will not be defeated by any opponent in the world," says Niitsu enthusiastically. He is determined to bring innovation from academia to Japan's semiconductor industry.
Apply and find out more about Arm Academic Access on our website.
Professor Kiichi Niitsu is from the Graduate School of Informatics, Kyoto University
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