̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge - ARM

Arm donates £3.5 million for Cambridge PhD students to study computer architecture and semiconductor design

skbf2 — Wed, 20 Nov 2024 13:05:14 +0000

̽��ֱ��first three students to be supported by the Arm donation will begin their studies at the new research centre in the autumn of 2025. They will be followed by another three students each year for the following four years.

Arm – the company building the future of computing with its global headquarters in Cambridge – is the first organisation to donate to the new CASCADE Research Centre, part of the Department of Computer Science and Technology.

“We’re very grateful to them for their generous support,” said Professor Timothy Jones, Director of the Centre. “As well as funding 15 PhD students over the next five years, Arm’s involvement is helping us realise our vision of a centre where research into addressing key challenges in this field is informed and supported by our industrial partners.This is extremely valuable to us as we work to make the Centre a destination for collaboration between companies, generating pre-competitive open-source artefacts and driving development of novel computer architectures.”

Richard Grisenthwaite, executive vice president and chief architect, Arm said: “Our long-standing commitment to the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge through this latest CASCADE funding highlights the vital collaboration between academia and industry as we embark on ground-breaking intent-based programming work to realize the future promise of AI through the next generation of processor designs."

“ ̽��ֱ��Centre has the potential to enable further technology innovation within the semiconductor industry and is an important part of Arm’s mission to build the future of computing.”

Jones added: "Computer architecture is a critical area of computing. It underpins today’s technologies and drives the next generation of computing systems. Here in the Department of Computer Science and Technology, we’re proud of our research and innovation in this area. And the recently published National Semiconductor Strategy underlined how vital such work is, showing that the UK is currently a leader in computer architecture."

"But to maintain this leading position, we need to invest in developing the research leaders of tomorrow. That's why we have established the new CASCADE Research Centre to fund PhD students working in this area, through support from industry. It is currently taking applications for its first cohort of students."

̽��ֱ��Centre will focus on research that addresses some of the grand challenges in computer architecture, design automation and semiconductors.

PhD students will work alongside researchers here who have expertise across the breadth of the area, encompassing the design and optimisation of general-purpose microprocessors, specialised accelerators, on-chip interconnect and memory systems, verification, compilation and networking, quantum architecture and resource estimation. This will allow them to explore the areas they are most passionate about, while addressing industry-relevant research.

Students receiving funding from Arm will be working in the general area of intent-based computing, researching systems that communicate what programs will do in the future so that the processor can make better decisions about how to execute them.

Arm was born in Cambridge in 1990 with the goal of changing the computing landscape. Its success since then in designing, architecting, and licensing high-performance, power-efficient CPUs — the 'brain' of all computers and many household and electronic devices — helped fuel the smartphone revolution and has made it a household name.

Arm has long had a research relationship with Cambridge ̽��ֱ��. Most notably, this has led to the development of new cybersecurity technology, focusing on innovative ways to design the architecture of a computer’s CPU to make software less vulnerable to security breaches.

Adapted from a news release published by the Department of Computer Science and Technology

Arm is donating £3.5 million to enable 15 PhD students over the next five years to study at CASCADE, the ̽��ֱ��'s new Computer Architecture and Semiconductor Design Centre.

Yuichiro Chino via Getty Images

Futuristic circuit board and semiconductor

̽��ֱ��text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright © ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.

Yes

G7 representatives meet in Cambridge to discuss semiconductors

hcf38 — Thu, 26 Sep 2024 09:35:45 +0000

Representatives of the Semiconductors Point of Contact Group from the G7 group of nations met in Cambridge on 26 September. ̽��ֱ��meeting was held at ARM, which designs over 95% of the processors in the world. Representatives from the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge, as well as representatives from local semiconductor companies, participated in the events.

Semiconductors underpin nearly every electrical, optical and quantum device, from mobile phones and medical equipment to electric vehicles. They are of global strategic significance due to the integral role they play in net zero, artificial intelligence and quantum technology.

̽��ֱ��G7 Semiconductor Points of Contact group is dedicated to facilitating information exchange and sharing best practices among G7 members. ̽��ֱ��PoC Group plans to exchange information on issues impacting the semiconductor industry, including pre-competitive industrial research and development priorities, sustainable manufacturing, the effect of non-market policies and practices, and crisis coordination channels.

Cambridge was chosen for the meeting in part because of its strong innovation ecosystem, which has produced more ‘unicorns’ – privately held startup companies valued at over US$1 billion – than anywhere else in the UK.

A 2023 report found that the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge contributes nearly £30 billion to the UK economy annually and supports more than 86,000 jobs across the UK, including 52,000 in the East of England.

For every £1 the ̽��ֱ�� spends, it creates £11.70 of economic impact, and for every £1 million of publicly-funded research income it receives, it generates £12.65 million in economic impact across the UK.

̽��ֱ��National Quantum Strategy (2023) and the National Semiconductor Strategy (2023) highlight the UK’s national strengths in quantum and photonic technologies and compound semiconductors. These sectors foster growth and create high-skilled jobs, and position the UK as a hub of global innovation.

Dr Diarmuid O’Brien, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Innovation at the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge, said: “Semiconductors are a vital technology for the UK’s economic growth, and Cambridge is a leader in semiconductor research and development. Working with our partners in academia, industry and government, we can develop next-generation semiconductor technologies and companies, and train the next generation of semiconductor scientists and engineers.”

Professor Andrea Ferrari, Director of the Cambridge Graphene Centre, hosted, on behalf of the ̽��ֱ��, a formal dinner in Pembroke College for the attendees of the G7 Semiconductors group. He stated that: “Cambridge played a key foundational role in the development of electronics. ̽��ֱ��electron was discovered here in 1897, by JJ Thomson. In 1961, electron beam lithography, a key method for integrated circuit fabrication, was invented in Cambridge. These early achievements were followed by many advances in circuit design, innovative advanced materials, photonic and quantum communications. It is thus fitting that the G7 Semiconductors representatives met at the heart of where all started.”

Science Minister Lord Vallance said: "Semiconductors are an unseen but vital component in so many of the technologies we rely on in our lives and backing UK innovators offers a real opportunity to growth these firms into industry leaders, strengthening our £10 billion sector and ensuring it drives economic growth. Hosting the G7 semiconductors Points of Contact group is also a chance to showcase the UK’s competitive and growing sector and make clear our commitment to keeping the UK at the forefront of advancing technology."

Representatives from the G7 have met in Cambridge to discuss the main priorities for the future development of semiconductors and their impact on the global economy.

Yes

Strategy unveiled to boost innovation in Cambridge

skbf2 — Mon, 16 Oct 2023 15:55:21 +0000

̽��ֱ��Innovate Cambridge Summit saw over 400 leaders from across the civic, business and academic working communities to support the science and technology cluster to maintain its position as a world leader amid fierce international competition.

Cambridge has evolved into a global innovation hub over the last 30 years, with over 5,500 knowledge-intensive businesses generating revenues exceeding £20bn annually and 23 billion-dollar unicorn companies born in the city. ̽��ֱ�� ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge is also the number one university in the world for producing successful tech founders, ahead of Harvard and MIT, with over 500 alumni founders raising more than $10 million in funding.

Recognising this, the city and its innovation ecosystem is now presented with a generational opportunity to maximise economic and social return. International benchmarking indicates that Cambridge can do more to enhance its position in the global innovation landscape.

This new home-grown innovation strategy, which has had input from 200 organisations, including Cambridge Enterprise, the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge, Cambridge Innovation Capital, AstraZeneca, Microsoft, ARM, Darktrace, Cambridge City Council, and Cambridge County Council and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority will propel the ecosystem towards a groundbreaking future.

In the past twelve months, the Cambridge ecosystem has seen significant collaboration, with over 200 organisations endorsing an Innovation Charter and extensive consultations involving more than 500 individuals to craft an innovation strategy. ̽��ֱ��culmination of these efforts, Innovate Cambridge, seeks to leverage the city's unique position as a driver of Britain’s growth, fostering collaboration, and catalysing innovation for the benefit of local communities and the broader UK.

In pursuit of this vision, Innovate Cambridge has identified three strategic goals:

An innovation ecosystem firing on all cylinders. Innovate Cambridge envisions improved health and social care, optimised energy use, and enhanced agricultural outcomes through world-leading life sciences research and AI applications. ̽��ֱ��focus will be on creating a green growth strategy, fostering economic growth, and supporting social infrastructure.
Ensuring the innovation ecosystem provides value and impact for the local community. Innovate Cambridge aims to increase collaboration within and beyond the region, formalising partnerships with other innovation hubs and economic centres. ̽��ֱ��initiative strives to deliver high-quality employment and training opportunities while ensuring benefits extend beyond geographical limits.
Forming partnerships with other regions and collaborators to drive scale and deliver social and economic benefits. By 2035, Innovate Cambridge aims to achieve significant economic, social, and environmental impact through collaborations and partnerships. Practical infrastructure issues, such as water scarcity and transportation, are addressed in conjunction with local government and Cambridge Ahead.

"Innovation is critical to local, national and global prosperity and central to the UK's economic success. Cambridge is the UK's leading research-based innovation ecosystem. A recent analysis found that spinouts and start-ups associated with the ̽��ֱ�� contributed over £18bn to the UK economy and there are many other companies within the Cambridge ecosystem without a direct connection to the ̽��ֱ�� that make a further significant contribution." Professor Andy Neely OBE, Senior Pro-Vice-Chancellor, ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge

“ ̽��ֱ��City Council has an important placemaking and leadership role for the whole city. We want Cambridge to be an even better place to live, work and study, and ensure the city maintains its status as a global innovation hub. Cambridge also has significant challenges around health inequalities, housing affordability, and life changes for disadvantaged young people. That’s why it's vital successful businesses, innovators, and entrepreneurs that have benefited from the unique, nurturing, innovation environment in Cambridge to give back to the city in a more tangible way.” Robert Pollock, Chief Executive, Cambridge City Council

"This strategy represents a pivotal moment for the innovation ecosystem in Cambridge. ̽��ֱ��collaboration of over 200 organisations has yielded a strategic roadmap that provides a shared vision for Cambridge as a global innovation hub. This initiative, rooted in inclusivity and sustainability, will drive positive economic and social impacts for the local community. Cambridge Enterprise is proud to be part of this ambitious endeavour, and we look forward to fostering groundbreaking discoveries and translating them into world-changing businesses." Dr Diarmuid O'Brien, Chief Executive, Cambridge Enterprise

“Innovation is critical to local, national and global prosperity and central to the wider UK growth agenda, and Cambridge remains the most intensive science and technological cluster in the world. It is an ecosystem where companies have the potential to go from lab to market quicker than anywhere else. We excel in life sciences, deep tech, and interdisciplinary research; and the city is home to a blend of start-ups and global leaders. ̽��ֱ��fact that so many of those stakeholders and businesses have now come up with an inclusive, forward-looking plan to ensure the city continues to innovate, compete, and deliver impact on a global scale, fills me with enormous pride.” Michael Anstey, Partner, Cambridge Innovation Capital

News release first published by Cambridge Enterprise

An ambitious new strategy to nurture and grow its innovation ecosystem has been unveiled at Cambridge summit.

̽��ֱ��text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright © ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – as here, on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.

Yes

It’s all in the wrist: energy-efficient robot hand learns how not to drop the ball

sc604 — Wed, 12 Apr 2023 03:23:34 +0000

Researchers have designed a low-cost, energy-efficient robotic hand that can grasp a range of objects – and not drop them – using just the movement of its wrist and the feeling in its ‘skin’.

New initiative to promote innovation in the Greater Cambridge area

skbf2 — Thu, 08 Dec 2022 12:51:02 +0000

Innovate Cambridge is an initiative to create an inclusive vision for the future of Cambridge and its innovation ecosystem. ̽��ֱ��initiative was launched in September 2022 by the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge, Cambridge Enterprise and Cambridge Innovation Capital. Organisations that have signed up to its charter include local government, start-ups, universities, science parks and investors. As well as announcing its first 100 signatories, Innovate Cambridge has also appointed an Executive Director and established a steering committee.

Tabitha Goldstaub, co-founder of festival and online platform CogX and a UK government advisor, has been appointed Innovate Cambridge’s Executive Director and the Rt Hon. Lord Willetts as Chair of its Steering Committee. Other members of the Steering Committee include Professor Andy Neely, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Enterprise and Business Relations at the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge, Professor Yvonne Barnett, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation for Anglia Ruskin ̽��ֱ��, Shaun Grady, AstraZeneca’s Senior Vice-President Business Development Operations and Robert Pollock, Chief Executive of Cambridge City Council.

Cambridge has been a global leader in innovation for decades, with its two universities, thriving start-up community, global businesses and strong investment network. But, “standing still is not an option,” said Diarmuid O’Brien, CEO of Cambridge Enterprise: “Many cities and regions across the world are rapidly getting organised to secure their futures. We must learn from and build on their experiences.”

̽��ֱ��next step, according to Michael Anstey, Partner at Cambridge Innovation Capital, is for the signatories to the Charter, “to come together to define, and then implement, an inclusive, forward-looking vision for the ecosystem, which ensures the City continues to innovate, compete, and deliver impact on a global scale well into the future.”

Professor Andy Neely, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Enterprise and Business Relations at the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge, said: “Cambridge has made a difference to the lives of millions of people around the world. A constant source of new ideas and innovations, the Cambridge innovation ecosystem spawns new ideas, technologies and insights that change the way we live and learn. ̽��ֱ��charter is a really exciting next step in the development of the Cambridge innovation ecosystem, bringing together key organisations and people to help shape the future of Greater Cambridge and ensure that together we continue to contribute to society.”

Read about some of the Cambridge start-ups that are having an impact in the UK and around the world here.

100 organisations, including AstraZeneca, Microsoft and Arm, have signed up to a new charter to boost the Cambridge innovation ecosystem and help it address global challenges, announced Innovate Cambridge today (8 December 2022).

̽��ֱ��charter is a really exciting next step in the development of the Cambridge innovation ecosystem, bringing together key organisations and people to help shape the future of Greater Cambridge and ensure that together we continue to contribute to society.

Andy Neely, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Enterprise and Business Relations

Innovate Cambridge

Tabitha Goldstaub, Innovate Cambridge’s Executive Director

̽��ֱ��text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright © ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – as here, on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.

Yes

Making the digital world a safer place

skbf2 — Wed, 25 May 2022 09:49:36 +0000

New technology developed by Cambridge researchers and Arm to make our computers more secure is being put through its paces by tech companies in the UK and around the world.

Algae-powered computing: scientists create reliable and renewable biological photovoltaic cell

jg533 — Thu, 12 May 2022 08:43:43 +0000

̽��ֱ��system, comparable in size to an AA battery, contains a type of non-toxic algae called Synechocystis that naturally harvests energy from the sun through photosynthesis. ̽��ֱ��tiny electrical current this generates then interacts with an aluminium electrode and is used to power a microprocessor.

̽��ֱ��system is made of common, inexpensive and largely recyclable materials. This means it could easily be replicated hundreds of thousands of times to power large numbers of small devices as part of the Internet of Things. ̽��ֱ��researchers say it is likely to be most useful in off-grid situations or remote locations, where small amounts of power can be very beneficial.

“ ̽��ֱ��growing Internet of Things needs an increasing amount of power, and we think this will have to come from systems that can generate energy, rather than simply store it like batteries,” said Professor Christopher Howe in the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge’s Department of Biochemistry, joint senior author of the paper.

He added: “Our photosynthetic device doesn’t run down the way a battery does because it’s continually using light as the energy source.”

In the experiment, the device was used to power an Arm Cortex M0+, which is a microprocessor used widely in Internet of Things devices. It operated in a domestic environment and semi-outdoor conditions under natural light and associated temperature fluctuations, and after six months of continuous power production the results were submitted for publication.

̽��ֱ��study is published today in the journal Energy & Environmental Science.

“We were impressed by how consistently the system worked over a long period of time – we thought it might stop after a few weeks but it just kept going,” said Dr Paolo Bombelli in the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge’s Department of Biochemistry, first author of the paper.

̽��ֱ��algae does not need feeding, because it creates its own food as it photosynthesises. And despite the fact that photosynthesis requires light, the device can even continue producing power during periods of darkness. ̽��ֱ��researchers think this is because the algae processes some of its food when there’s no light, and this continues to generate an electrical current.

̽��ֱ��Internet of Things is a vast and growing network of electronic devices - each using only a small amount of power - that collect and share real-time data via the internet. Using low-cost computer chips and wireless networks, many billions of devices are part of this network - from smartwatches to temperature sensors in power stations. This figure is expected to grow to one trillion devices by 2035, requiring a vast number of portable energy sources.

̽��ֱ��researchers say that powering trillions of Internet of Things devices using lithium-ion batteries would be impractical: it would need three times more lithium than is produced across the world annually. And traditional photovoltaic devices are made using hazardous materials that have adverse environmental effects.

̽��ֱ��work was a collaboration between the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge and Arm, a company leading the design of microprocessors. Arm Research developed the ultra-efficient Arm Cortex M0+ testchip, built the board, and set up the data-collection cloud interface presented in the experiments.

̽��ֱ��research was funded by the National Biofilms Innovation Centre.

Reference

Bombelli, P et al: ‘Powering a Microprocessor by Photosynthesis.’ Energy & Environmental Science, May 2022. DOI: 10.1039/D2EE00233G

Researchers have used a widespread species of blue-green algae to power a microprocessor continuously for a year – and counting – using nothing but ambient light and water. Their system has potential as a reliable and renewable way to power small devices.

Our photosynthetic device doesn’t run down the way a battery does because it’s continually using light as the energy source.

Chris Howe

Paolo Bombelli

Yes

Licence type:

Attribution

Making things happen: the importance of knowledge exchange

skbf2 — Mon, 08 Nov 2021 16:00:33 +0000

Knowledge exchange has been a personal passion for me, ever since my first job as a Teaching Company Associate (Now Knowledge Transfer Partnerships), managing a knowledge exchange project with Cardiff ̽��ֱ�� and a tech start-up company. That experience sparked my fascination with the impact of university research on the wider world. Since then I’ve been fortunate to pursue this interest, working with universities and businesses across the UK in a range of different roles. I was delighted to get the opportunity to come to Cambridge where there are so many exciting opportunities for knowledge exchange.

̽��ֱ��rewards of the job

It is hugely satisfying when you are able to identify and nurture synergies between businesses and universities to achieve things neither could do on their own. For example, one of my tasks is to manage the EPSRC IAA Follow-on Fund at Cambridge. I am often told by academics how critical a relatively small injection of cash at the right time can be in helping them move an idea on to the point where it can attract more significant investment or industry support.

Fluidic Analytics, a spin-out from the Department of Chemistry, is a fantastic example of this. During the course of his research, Professor Tuomas Knowles invented a new method for studying proteins and their behaviours which he turned into a lab-scale prototype. It was thanks to the IAA Follow-on Fund that he was able to keep the project going until he could secure the investment needed to commercialise it. ̽��ֱ��company now employs more than 60 people and has raised more than $40 million in funding.

̽��ֱ��IAA has also played a pivotal role in collaborations with two of the ̽��ֱ��’s business partners, Rolls-Royce and Arm. An IAA Knowledge Transfer Fellowship enabled Bryce Conduit at Rolls-Royce and James Taylor in the Whittle Lab (pictured above) to use machine learning to predict how much damage an aeroengine’s compressor blades can sustain before they need to be repaired or replaced. To solve the problem, the pair developed a radical new approach to rapid prototyping that has the potential to revolutionise the way engineers design and optimise turbomachinery.

IAA Funding also enabled two postdocs to be seconded to Arm for a year to help it assess the feasibility of building a ‘proper’ industry-scale prototype of the ground-breaking digital security concepts being developed at the ̽��ֱ��’s Department of Computer Science and Technology. If adopted, this will affect virtually all of us, improving the security of the billions of phones, computers and myriad devices that rely in Arm technology.

Sometimes we talk about technology as if is a discrete entity that can be boxed up and exchanged for money. In practice, of course, it is not that simple. Technology is also about the know-how that resides in a researcher’s head. People are at the heart of knowledge exchange, whether it is someone from Rolls-Royce coming to work in the Whittle Lab or ̽��ֱ�� researchers going to work at Arm. In both cases, it gives them an opportunity to immerse themselves in a different world which can be hugely beneficial for the individuals concerned as well as paving the way for future collaborations.

Making connections

We are fortunate at Cambridge that we have a strong track record of both entrepreneurship and collaboration with industry and other external partners. Many academics have achieved amazing things through the commercialisation of their research – and are expert at doing so. But how do you make sure, in an organisation of our size, that everyone who wants to get involved in knowledge exchange knows how to? That’s where the ̽��ֱ��’s network of knowledge exchange professionals comes in. One of our roles is to unearth that tacit knowledge within the ̽��ֱ��, share it widely and develop best practice so that everyone can benefit. ̽��ֱ��other is about trying to connect, translate and mediate between the different worlds of academia and business and policy.

Laying the groundwork

An often overlooked aspect of knowledge exchange is the importance of timing. An external partner has to be at exactly the right point in their development lifecycle to need our input. That need has to align with an academic or research group having the interest and capacity to pursue the research problem. There is a certain amount of luck involved in getting the timing right but, to borrow a well-worn phrase, ‘the harder I work, the luckier I get’.

As knowledge exchange professionals, we spend a lot of time and effort doing the groundwork, forging connections and sharing information, often without a clear idea at the outset of what will bear fruit. You know something will happen, you just don't know what. Both sides - universities and businesses – have to be prepared to make this kind of investment of time and resources.

A lot of people are in academia because of their natural curiosity: they want to understand how things work and why they are the way they are. By connecting them with the outside world, I can give them access to interesting new problems and help them turn their ideas into realities that go on to make a difference to people’s lives. Making that happen is a genuinely rewarding task: I still can’t quite believe my luck that I ended up here.

Claire McGlynn, Head of Impact Acceleration, Research Strategy Office

November 2021

Read all our Business and Enterprise blog posts here

Bryce Conduit (left) and James Taylor in the ̽��ֱ��'s Whittle Laboratory