By Mark LaPedus
The Semiconductor Research Corp. (SRC) has launched the Semiconductor and Packaging Advanced Research Consortium (SPARC), its newest industry-driven collaborative research program.
SPARC is designed to accelerate the development of breakthrough technologies in the semiconductor and packaging arena.
Based in Durham, N.C., SRC is a semiconductor consortium, which involves the collaboration between companies, academia and government agencies. SRC member companies include AMD, ADI, ASM International, EMD, GlobalFoundries, IBM, Intel, MediaTek, Micron, NXP, Samsung, Siemens EDA, SK Hynix, TSMC, TI, TEL and others. DARPA and the National Science Foundation (NSF) are also partners.
Initially, SPARC involves 21 research projects representing more than $13 million in research funding to address critical technology priorities identified by SRC member companies.
These inaugural projects span a broad range of next-generation research in semiconductor design, manufacturing and packaging. Collectively, these projects address the full semiconductor stack—from advanced transistor architectures and heterogeneous integration to analog and mixed-signal systems.
As semiconductor innovation increasingly depends on breakthroughs in heterogeneous integration, advanced packaging, manufacturing technologies, and next-generation system design, SPARC provides a collaborative framework that aligns industry priorities with the expertise of university researchers.
SPARC represents a boost for SRC, which was recently dealt a major setback. In 2024, SRC was awarded government funding to set up a digital twins R&D institute. Last year, though, that project was cancelled by the Trump administration.