Rinn Semiconductors to receive €71m for chiplet research

Rinn Semiconductors, one of seven new Research Ireland centres, will be funded with nearly €71 million of Government investment to develop heterogeneously integrated semiconductor systems.

The centre, launched in July as part of the national Rinn network, is led by Prof Paul Townsend, a photonics specialist from University College Cork and the Tyndall National Institute. He will steer research into chiplet‑based semiconductor design, aiming to address the limits of traditional Moore’s Law scaling.

Prof Townsend explained that the centre will focus on three application areas: the future internet, sustainable energy and the environment, and digital healthcare. The work is intended to build on Ireland’s 50‑year semiconductor industry, which employs about 20,000 people across more than 100 companies.

The Rinn network as a whole will receive €460 million over eight years, supporting 577 research positions, more than 800 PhDs and collaboration with 17 research‑performing organisations. The national “Silicon Island” strategy underpins the funding, seeking to strengthen research capacity, support start‑ups and spin‑outs, and develop a talent pipeline for the sector.

Government ambition

By aligning with the EU Chips Act and the Silicon Island plan, Rinn Semiconductors aims to position Ireland as an international hub of semiconductor excellence and contribute to the EU’s goal of increasing its share of global semiconductor manufacturing output.

Source: Silicon Republic. Photo: Sergei Starostin / Pexels.