The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has launched a program that focuses on expanding the computational power capacity of high-performance computing systems in line with energy efficiency standards.
DARPA said Thursday that the Low-Temperature Logic Technology (LTLT) program is focused on developing a device/circuit capability that can achieve a performance and power improvement of 25 times compared to room-temperature central processing units.
Specifically, DARPA seeks to develop low-temperature fin field-effect transistors (FinFETs) based on complementary metal-oxide-semiconductors (CMOS) to support Very Large Scaled Integration (VLSI) functionalities.
The agency also intends to produce and test a static random-access memory (SRAM) cell with a compact framework and the capacity to handle foundational circuit elements for HPC engines.
LTLT will additionally leverage DARPA’s Toolbox Initiative which provides licensing support for proprietary commercial technologies.
“While microelectronics is typically designed to operate at room temperature, we know that device characteristics improve significantly at reduced temperatures,” said Jason Woo, a program manager for the Microsystems Technology Office at DARPA.
Interested participants must submit proposals by May 18.