With the goal of realizing carbon neutrality, ALCA-Next supports research and development aimed at achieving fundamental power savings in the semiconductor field. These efforts are aiming to address increased power consumption associated with advanced information processing such as artificial intelligence (AI), an issue that has emerged recently. As part of this effort, JST announced initiatives in 2023 to promote research and development through joint research that leverages the strengths of Japan and the UK, and in 2024, selected three excellent projects through a joint call for proposals.
On April 24-25, 2025, JST held a Japan-UK joint workshop (WS) targeting the three selected projects at the University of Southampton in the UK. The research discussion sessions featured presentations by principal investigators from both countries and active Q&A sessions among researchers and technical advisors, providing an opportunity to confirm and share the Japan-UK coordination framework. Additionally, poster presentations by early career researchers from Japan and the UK contributed to developing next-generation talent with international perspectives and deepening networks across specialized fields. Furthermore, there were tours of cleanrooms for optical processes, introductions to research support initiatives by funding agencies from both Japan and the UK, as well as presentations on expectations for Japan-UK collaboration.
Researchers from both countries gathered together, and through active discussion and exchange, this became a meaningful opportunity to deepen their understanding of each other's research environments and systems. With this initiative as a catalyst, there are expectations for the acceleration of outcome creation from each project and further development of international exchange.
(Article: JST Department of R&D for Future Creation)
