ENERGIZE: a joint Korean-EU partnership for energy-efficient neuromorphic hardware
The European Union, South Korea, and Switzerland have jointly launched the ambitious research project ENERGIZE, providing €3.6 million in funding to develop energy-efficient hardware based on two-dimensional (2D) materials for edge computing and artificial intelligence (AI) applications.
ENERGIZE is one of the four projects selected through the joint EU-South Korea call in February 2024, focused on advancing critical but pre-commercial semiconductor technologies, including heterogeneous integration and neuromorphic computing. The project aims at establishing an internationally leading consortium to tackle the challenges of energy-efficient computing in the age of big data and AI.
Addressing the Energy Challenge of AI
The explosive growth of data collection—from mobile devices and autonomous vehicles to IoT and Industry 4.0—demands highly efficient circuits and algorithms for data processing and storage. Artificial Intelligence (AI), especially through Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs), is central to addressing these challenges.
However, training large-scale ANNs on conventional processors results in significant energy consumption, contributing to environmental concerns. As traditional computer architectures struggle to keep pace with the requirements of future AI applications, including multimedia data analysis and simulations of complex systems, the need for innovative computing technologies has become critical.
Neuromorphic hardware, inspired by the human brain, represents a promising solution to these challenges. Unlike traditional Von Neumann architectures, where computing and memory are physically separated, neuromorphic chips integrate computation and memory directly within the same hardware. This approach, known as computing-in-memory, eliminates the energy-intensive data transfer between processors and memory while enabling highly parallel processing. Neuromorphic hardware has the potential to solve AI tasks with energy efficiency improvements of several orders of magnitude compared to conventional hardware.
The Bet on Two-Dimensional Materials
Research on neuromorphic hardware is still in its early stages and substantial effort is still being dedicated to identifying the most promising materials and approaches for developing the new hardware. The project ENERGIZE places its bet on 2D materials as a foundation for neuromorphic hardware. These materials promise exceptional properties, including low switching voltage, short response times, and high power-efficiency. Furthermore, their unique surface characteristics, such as high crystallinity and the absence of dangling bonds, make them particularly suited for seamless integration with existing semiconductor technologies, including back-end-of-line (BEOL) processes.
To demonstrate the potential of 2D materials for neuromorphic computing, ENERGIZE adopts a holistic research approach, encompassing material growth, device fabrication, multiscale simulations, and the development of large-scale synapse arrays and neuromorphic systems. This interconnected framework enables the project to explore innovative concepts at multiple levels and refine them for optimal performance. The project’s vision is to advance the wafer-scale growth of 2D materials, improve the reliability of device fabrication processes, and demonstrate the integration of 2D devices into existing semiconductor technologies. It also aims to enable efficient inference and training of neural networks using crossbar arrays and to establish standardized benchmarking methods for neuromorphic devices and circuits.
International Collaboration for Strategic Impact
ENERGIZE’s multilevel interconnected research is enabled by the complementary expertise of the project partners. On the European side, the project brings together the group of Max Lemme and Zhenxing Wang at AMO GmbH, the groups of Andras Kis and Adrian Ionescu at EPFL, the group of Gianluca Fiori at Università di Pisa, and the one of Andres Godoy at Universidad de Granada. On the Korean side, there are the groups of Ki Kang Kim and Woo Jong Yu at Sungkyunkwan University, Gunuk Wang at Korea University, Byung-Geun Lee at Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, and Sungju Ryu at Sogang University.
Prof. Max Lemme emphasized the significance of this collaboration, stating, “The ENERGIZE consortium brings together outstanding expertise along the entire semiconductor value chain. Our integrated approach has the potential to serve as a blueprint for an international network in neuromorphic computing, a field of immense strategic importance for both Europe and South Korea.”
By pushing the boundaries of energy-efficient computing, ENERGIZE aims to address the increasing demands of AI applications while contributing to global sustainability goals and advancing technological leadership in Europe and South Korea. In total, the project is going to receive about €1.5 Million funding from the European Commission (Grant ID: 101194458), €1.4 Million from the National Research Foundation of Korea (RS-2024-00439520), and €0.7 Million from the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (REF-1131-52301).
For more information, please contact:
Dr. Zhenxing Wang
AMO GmbH
Email: wang@amo.de