NEW DELHI : Samsung Semiconductor India Analysis (SSIR) has been instrumental in driving the worldwide improvements of its dad or mum Samsung Electronics, with merchandise just like the groundbreaking Exynos chip, the world’s first 108-megapixel digicam, and a number of superior telephone sensors. In an interview, the agency’s company vice chairman and managing director Balajee Sowrirajan supplied insights into the corporate’s give attention to innovation, and the traits which are shaping the trade. Edited excerpts:
How has SSIR contributed to the improvements at Samsung?
Globally, Samsung Semiconductor includes three main enterprise models—reminiscence, foundry, and system large-scale integration. Unstable reminiscences comparable to static random entry reminiscence and dynamic random entry reminiscence want energy to retailer knowledge, however non-volatile reminiscence (solid-state drive) doesn’t want energy to retain data within the chip. We’ve got been constructing DRAMs for over 30 years. However we work extra on non-volatile reminiscence storage resolution area comparable to SSD drives.
Please give us some examples.
Many inventions at Samsung have been born at SSIR. One flagship product, the place end-to-end possession and improvement have been pushed out of SSIR, is our Exynos system-on-a-chip (built-in circuit design combining parts of digital units on a single chip) which is provided with a 5G modem and neural community processing unit (for synthetic intelligence functions) and powers cell units and automobiles. Our ISOCELL picture sensors, too, use superior pixel expertise to energy your telephone and automobile cameras. At SSIR, we tune and qualify sensors, reminiscence and storage units to make sure that they operate nicely underneath all circumstances (extreme warmth, biting chilly, tough climate). Additional, sensors in lots of commercially-available telephones globally have been designed at SSIR. Furthermore, the world’s first 108MP digicam was deliberate and created by the engineers at SSIR—from designing the specs, {hardware} and last software program improvement. SSIR can be among the many first to undertake a extra superior transistor structure, as we (at Samsung Foundry) proceed to determine our management with the manufacturing of the 3nm (nanometre) course of node making use of Gate-All-Round (for bettering efficiency, cut back energy consumption and improve transistor density).
Have you ever filed any patents?
SSIR has filed greater than 1,000 patents globally, and greater than 450 have been granted up to now.
Do you could have high quality engineering expertise from India?
We’ve got very well-trained expertise in our campuses. Once we recruit, we gauge their understanding of semiconductor system physics, digital design, and fundamentals of software program, together with their downside fixing and analytical capacity. We spend six months to 1 yr for coaching them after they come from campuses. However our staff need to repeatedly enhance whereas we’ve got to upskill our individuals, particularly given the rise in use of AI and ML.
On this context, how is SSIR leveraging AI and ML?
Amongst different issues, we use AI-ML for our design exercise—for instance on how quickly can I debug an issue? We will velocity up learnings and methods with each AI-ML as an alternative of doing issues manually. Second, most of our functions have neural processing models that assist algorithms to run very quick.
SSIR is partnering Indian Institute of Science (IISc) to advertise R&D within the subject of on-chip electrostatic discharge (ESD) safety. What does it entail?
Collaborating with some tutorial establishments is essential for us to push innovation analysis to the subsequent stage. Virtually each digital system includes built-in circuits and SOCs however they’re very delicate to ESD failure (launch of saved static electrical energy can injury these delicate tools). IISc is without doubt one of the few institutes on the planet main ESD system analysis. The collaboration is geared toward serving to us develop highly-reliable interfaces and SoCs that function at low energy and excessive velocity. It is a multi-year mission, and hopefully, it would open extra alternatives for analysis with them.
Are you able to elaborate on the IoT alternative for semiconductor corporations with an insistence on good cities, houses, and good factories?
I’m not speaking about simply the Web of Issues but additionally the Intelligence of Issues, as a result of synthetic basic intelligence (AGI) is changing into a vital side, which leaves no room for dumb related units. You now need numerous choices to be made on the sting (nearer to the units somewhat than on a distant server), say, in your telephones or cars.
However this additionally implies that you’ll want low latency and low energy consumption for mission-critical functions like automobiles and medical tools. Isn’t it?
We’ve got numerous improvements on that entrance, particularly for modems, not just for telephones, however your fridges can even have a modem sooner or later. Each system may have a modem and a few type of a neural processing unit or AI-ML processing unit, which can make energy administration a vital requirement. Additional, sensors may not be only for pictures however can even be utilized in many areas comparable to mild and odor sensors, which can play a really massive function.
What extra ought to India do to develop into a world innovation hub and encourage ‘Make AI in India ?
India already has an enormous native (semiconductor) design ecosystem. As for AI, there must be numerous design fashions or design use circumstances. It’s not nearly chip design however extra on product design. We’ve got to start out from the highest of the worth chain and introduce merchandise systematically for India.