News: Microelectronics
12 March 2026
University of Sheffield to lead £12.5m UK Centre for Heterogeneous Integrated MicroElectronic and Semiconductor Systems
The University of Sheffield is leading a new £12.5m national research center to strengthen the UK’s ability to design the next generation of advanced electronic systems and support the ambitions of the UK Semiconductor Strategy.
As traditional circuit boards reach their limits, the future lies in heterogeneous integration — combining different semiconductor technologies into highly integrated, secure systems. The Centre for Heterogeneous Integrated MicroElectronic and Semiconductor Systems (CHIMES2) will therefore develop new ways to combine multiple microchips into smaller, faster and more energy-efficient systems — a critical challenge as electronic devices continue to shrink and increase in complexity.
Led by Sheffield, CHIMES2 brings together researchers from the Universities of Cambridge, Oxford, Queen’s University Belfast, Strathclyde, Edinburgh, Newcastle, King’s College London, Manchester, and the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC). CHIMES is funded by the Department for Science Innovation and Technology, delivered and monitored via UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
In close partnership with the University of Southampton, Sheffield will co-develop a national ‘Design Commons’ — a shared platform of system architectures, integration workflows and reusable design tools. The Design Commons will support industry collaboration while also forming a core part of the UK’s semiconductor skills agenda, aligning with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology’s Semiconductor Talent Expansion Programmes to provide hands-on training in advanced system design.
The University of Sheffield’s leadership builds on its long-standing strength in semiconductor and microelectronic systems research (e.g. National Epitaxy Facility) as well as communication research (e.g. National Millimetre Wave Facility). By connecting materials discovery, device engineering and system-level design, CHIMES2 aims to help to ensure that innovation developed in UK laboratories translates into globally competitive electronic systems.
“This centre strengthens the UK’s capability to design the advanced electronic systems that will underpin future economic growth and technological resilience,” says CHIMES2 director professor John Goodenough, professor in the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the University of Sheffield. “By bringing together leading expertise from across the UK and embedding that capability into both industry collaboration and national skills programs, we are building sustainable long-term impact,” he adds.
“Sheffield’s strength in semiconductor and microelectronic systems research is built on decades of curiosity-driven discovery — from advanced materials growth to system-level design,” says professor Chee Hing Tan, research theme lead for CHIMES2 at the University of Sheffield. “CHIMES2 ensures that this fundamental research connects directly to next-generation integrated systems, while training the engineers who will shape the future of the industry,” he adds.
“As semiconductor devices get ever smaller it is important UK companies can find innovative new ways to combine them into the electronics that are at the heart of systems that allow us to live our daily lives. This new center is about bringing together the best parts of the UK university and industry base to develop expertise in the design of future electronic systems using a broad variety of semiconductor components,” says CHIMES2 co-lead John Darlington of the University of Southampton’s School of Electronics and Computer Science.
“The mission of CHIMES is to bridge the gap between the UK’s world-class research base and commercial success,” says John Goodacre, professor of Computer Architectures at The University of Manchester and co-lead of CHIMES2. “The UK leads in diverse deep-tech fields, from Manchester’s breakthroughs in neuromorphic computing to spintronics, photonics, and efficient power delivery. Historically, the primary route to market for such innovation has been the ‘soft-IP’ licensing model,” he adds.
“Heterogeneous integration fundamentally shifts this value proposition. It enables academic spinouts and businesses to package their novel IP as physical ‘hard-IP’ chiplets, integrated alongside standard modules. This facilitates a new ‘fabless integrator’ economy, allowing UK innovators to capture significantly higher value by selling physical silicon products rather than just design royalties.”
