Copyright © Lancaster University
Quinas Technology, a spinout from the Department of Physics at Lancaster University, has been awarded a $30,000 prize in the IC Taiwan Grand Challenge in the “Smart Data & AI” category. The recognition highlights the company’s progress in commercializing ULTRARAM™, an innovative memory storage technology invented by Professor Manus Hayne. It combines the non-volatility of traditional storage devices like Flash with the speed and efficiency of dynamic random-access memory (DRAM). It is expected that ULTRARAM™ will deliver the UK a stake in the $100 billion per year memory chip industry.
The IC Taiwan Grand Challenge is an initiative started by the National Science and Technology Council to bolster Taiwan’s IC startup ecosystem and attract global tech talent and investment. The Taiwanese semiconductor industry is among the most important in the world. According to a report by Deloitte, the global semiconductor market is expected to see global sales of up to $588 billion in 2024.
The winners of the first round of the IC Taiwan Grand Challenge were announced in September 2024. Selected from a total of 72 teams representing 15 countries, there were just six in total; two each from US and Taiwan, one from Israel and Quinas the only UK winner. Registration for the second round of the Grand Challenge is already underway.
Professor Manus Hayne said: “We are delighted to receive this recognition of ULTRARAM™’s potential from Taiwan, which produces about 90% of the world’s most advanced semiconductor chips. The award opens up the opportunity to collaborate with world-leading Taiwanese semiconductor research and manufacturing partners, advancing the commercialisation of the technology and the delivery of global impact and economic benefit for the UK.”
Read the full story at the Lancaster University website.
For more information
Visit the ULTRARAM™ project site.
