Arm: The Partner of Choice for Academic Engagements

At Arm, we recognize the importance of the latest research findings from academia and how they can help to shape future technology roadmaps. As a global semiconductor ambassador, we play a key role in academic engagements and refining the commercial relevance of their respective research.

Our approach is multifaceted, involving broad engagements with entire departments and focused collaborations with individual researchers. This ensures that we are not only advancing the field of computing but also fostering the talent that will lead the industry in the future.

Pioneering research and strategic investments in academia

A prime example of our broad engagement is our long-standing relationship with the University of Cambridge’s Depart of Computer Science and Technology. We’ve announced critical investment into the Department’s new CASCADE (Computer Architecture and Semiconductor Design) Centre. To realize the potential of AI through next-gen processor designs, this initiative will fund 15 PhD students over the next five years who will undertake groundbreaking work in intent-based programming.

Meanwhile, our work with the Morello program continues to push the boundaries of secure computing. This is a research initiative aimed at creating a more secure hardware architecture for future Arm devices. The program is based on the CHERI (Capability Hardware Enhanced RISC Instructions) model, which has been developed in collaboration with the University of Cambridge since 2015. By implementing CHERI architectural extensions, Morello aims to mitigate memory safety vulnerabilities and enhance the overall security of devices.

In the United States, our membership in the SRC JUMP2.0 program, a public-private partnership alongside DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) and other noted semiconductor companies, enables us to support pathfinding research across new and emerging technical challenges. One notable investment is the PRISM Centre (Processing with Intelligent Storage and Memory), which is led by the University of California San Diego, where we are deeply engaged in advancing the computing field.

Fuelling innovation through strategic PhD investments

Arm’s broad academic engagements are complemented by specific investments in emerging research areas, where the commercial impact is still being defined. PhD studentships are ideal for these exploratory studies, providing the necessary timeframe to progress ideas and early-stage concepts toward potential commercial viability. Examples include:

• A PhD at the University of Limerick developing next-generation automotive vision systems, supported by a cross-Arm collaboration.
• Ongoing funding to the Barcelona Supercomputing Centre for PhD students working on high-performance computing (HPC) and genomics workloads.
• A PhD studentship at the University of Utah exploring security and verification topics.

Shaping the future through research and technology

In areas where challenges are just being identified, Arm convenes workshops with academic thought leaders to scope future use cases and the fundamental experimental work needed to advance the field. Moreover, our white papers on Ambient Intelligence and the Metaverse are helping the academic community develop future research programs, acting as a springboard for further innovation.

Given our position in the ecosystem, we are often invited to provide thought leadership at academic conferences. Highlights from this year include:

• A keynote by Rob Dimond, a System Architect and Fellow at Arm, at the DATE conference in Valencia, a major event for our industry and academia.

• Simon Craske, a Lead Architect and Fellow at Arm, participated as a speaker at the inaugural IET REACH Computer Architecture Conference.

Reinforcing academic engagements by investing in future talent

Investing in PhDs is not just about research; it’s about nurturing the future talent pipeline for our industry. We also engage with governments and funding agencies to ensure that university research funding is targeted appropriately.

For instance, Andrea Kells sits on the EPSRC (UK) Science Advisory Team for Information and Communication Technologies and the Semiconductor Research Corporation (US) Scientific Advisory Board, which both link with the Arm Government Affairs team on research investments.

Check out Andrea’s webinar on advances and challenges in semiconductor design

Expanding global collaborations to drive technological marvels

Arm’s commitment to academic engagements spans the globe, reflecting our dedication to fostering innovation worldwide. In Asia for instance, we have initiated collaborations with leading institutions to explore new frontiers in semiconductor technology. Our partnership with the National University of Singapore focuses on developing power-efficient computing solutions, which are crucial for the next generation of mobile and IoT devices.

In Europe, beyond our engagements in the U.K. and Spain, we are also working with the Technical University of Munich on advanced research in quantum computing. This collaboration aims to address some of the most challenging problems in computing today, paving the way for breakthroughs that could revolutionize the industry.

Bridging academics and the industry for a brighter future

innovation and supporting the next generation of technology leaders. Our investments in academic engagements not only advance the field of semiconductor technology but also ensure that we remain at the forefront of technological progress.

As we continue to nurture upcoming talent, support groundbreaking research, and foster global collaborations, we are shaping the future of computing.

For more information

For more details about Arm’s academic engagements and partnerships contact Andrea Kells, Arm’s Research Ecosystem Director at Andrea.Kells@arm.com