The “information processing factory” chip concept comes from recent innovations in manufacturing in which network-connected tools, robots, sensors and computers act in concert to perform complex processes. The teams from UCI and Germany will work toward incorporating many of the monitoring and control functions of factories into individual computer chips. This will enable components to function independently, adapt to evolving processing requirements and self-repair defects on the fly.
These advanced systems will come equipped with on-chip sensors to monitor and control performance and health status – keeping track of temperature, energy consumption, wear and tear, and even security threats. Achieving this will require a holistic methodology that encompasses hardware design, software development and new approaches to network architecture.
This early microchip-focused phase is considered to be a pilot project by UCI and its German partners, as they are trying out an informal collaboration that does not depend upon the established funding mechanism of a joint international call-for-research proposals but directly awards a grass-roots initiative of a trans-Atlantic research group – possibly heralding a new era of flexible research funding.
Practical elements of the collaboration include student and faculty exchanges and visits, regularly scheduled trans-Atlantic conferences, and virtual work group activities. This transatlantic project is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the German Research Foundation (DFG), with around 2 Million Euros (2.48 Million US-Dollars).
