Date: Monday, November 20, 2023

Time: 1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Location: Van Leer 218

Speaker: Dr. Jack Sun

Speaker’s Title: Dean and Chair Professor

Speaker’s Affiliation: Industry Academia Innovation School (IAIS), NYCU

Abstract:
Semiconductor is synonymous with innovation. The transistor invention more than 75 years ago was the Big Bang of the semiconductor universe. Semiconductor is pervasive now and indispensable in sustainable future societies. The semiconductor universe continues to expand, and we are well into a “Super Moore” era with 3Dx3D System Scaling which enabled powerful generative AI models such as ChatGPT to transform human societies. The parameter count of ChatGPT-4 LLM is more than 1 trillion and doubling every 4 months, escalating workload and power consumption exponentially. This pace far exceeds the what CMOS and 3Dx3D system scaling can support. We need a paradigm shift with new AI/Compute architectures and energy efficient semiconductor technologies with more than 100X -1000X energy efficiency towards POPS/W and EOPS/W ubiquitous AI compute across data center, edge, and end devices. In this talk, we’ll provide some perspectives and our research efforts on these new frontiers and grand challenges/opportunities for energy-efficient compute/AI, communication, and energy conversion, e.g., emerging memories with in-memory-compute (non-Von-Neumann), materials and devices for non-charge-based logic, new semiconductor channel materials for 3Dx3D, and new AI architectures/circuits such as Green AI and quantum computing. We’ll also give an overview of our new school, i.e., IAIS for semiconductor talent cultivation. An innovative, vibrant, efficient, and secure global semiconductor supply chain and a symbiotic semiconductor ecosystem among academia, industry, and governments will benefit the whole world.

Biographical Sketch of the Speaker:
Dean and Chair Professor Jack Sun, Industry Academia Innovation School (IAIS), NYCU. Dr. Jack Sun is an IEEE Life Fellow. He received his PhD degree from University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He devoted his career to the advancement of semiconductor technology with outstanding contributions to the semiconductor industry globally and in Taiwan. He and co-workers did pioneering work on deep-sub-micron n+/p+-poly CMOS, cryo-CMOS, high-performance Bipolar, SiGe HBT, and BiCMOS at IBM T.J. Watson Research Center from 1983 to 1997. Prior to his latest endeavor in leading the new school at NYCU for semiconductor and AI systems talent development and research, Dr. Sun served as VP of R&D and CTO at TSMC before retiring in 2018. He and coworkers helped establish TSMC as the foundry technology leader with energy efficient CMOS, RF-CMOS, and 3Dx3D system scaling for smartphones, WIFI, mobile computing, GPU, FPGA, AI, HPC, etc., and enabled the innovation and growth of fabless design and product companies that transformed the semiconductor industry. Dr. Sun received many awards, including J.J. Ebers Award in 2015 ( IEEE Electron Devices Society), TSMC Medal of Honor, National Taiwan University Distinguished Alumni Award(2020), ECE Distinguished Alumni Award from University of Illinois, National Management Excellence Award (ROC, 2004), Outstanding Technology Worker Award (ROC, 2003), Ten Most Outstanding Engineer Award of the Chinese Institute of Engineers (2000), and two IBM Outstanding Technical Achievement Awards (0.25um CMOS; 0.5um CMOS). He was a plenary keynote speaker for 2017 IEDM, 2014 A-SSCC, and 2013 VLSI Technology Symposium, besides many invited talks, over 200 journal/conference papers, and 18 US patents. He had served as a Board Member for SRC, Sematech, and National Research Labs (NARL, Taiwan); and as VLSI Technology Symposia / JSAP Executive Committee member, IEEE A-SSCC Steering Committee member and Conference.