The higher cost of microelectronics R&D as it goes further into nanometre dimensions, mandates a Europe which is committed to increasing its investment in chip R&D, according to Arthur van der Poel, chairman of the pan-European microelectronics R&D programme MEDEA+.
Van der Poel pointed out that, in the last decade, packing density of transistors on ICs has increased 100 times; CPU processing in terms of $ per MIPS, has decreased a thousand times; cost of HDD storage has decreased one thousand times; network bandwidth has increased a thousand-fold, and the cost of bandwidth in terms of bit/s per km has decreased by 30 times.
All this depends on the ability to shrink dimensions and, said van der Poel: “We are making good progress to 32nm and 22nm.”
As shrinking continues, the R&D cost to achieve it rises, and semiconductor R&D, as a percentage of industry revenues, is now greater than that in the pharmaceutical, computer, telecommunications equipment, aerospace, defence, chemicals and oil industries, said van der Poel.
However, as products commoditise and their manufacture moves away from Europe, they must be replaced by innovative new products which depend on public investments in education and in R&D under projects such as ENIAC and ARTEMIS, and on co-operation between academia and industry, said van der Poel.
Pan-European R&D should focus on six areas, said van der Poel: mobile communications; secure financial transactions; safe ‘zero accident’ transportation; health care for an aging population; environmental protection and entertainment.
“Altogether the six areas will bring to Europe high quality employment,” said van der Poel.
The next stage for MEDEA+ is to apply to EUREKA by the first half of 2007 with the first call for projects starting in January 2008 taking place in July-December 2007.