Cornell's 2025 SUPREME Review Accelerates Energy-Efficient Semiconductors

Cornell University hosted the 2025 annual review of the Superior Energy-efficient Materials and Devices (SUPREME) research center from July 29–31. The event gathered more than 150 researchers, students, industry leaders, and government officials to present breakthroughs in semiconductor technology.

The review focused on critical advances in materials discovery and the development of energy-efficient electronics. A primary highlight was the integration of artificial intelligence and machine learning to enable rapid material screening, a process designed to accelerate the discovery of high-performance semiconductor components. The center is directed by Cornell's Grace Xing and co-directed by Tomás Palacios of MIT.

The JUMP 2.0 Ecosystem

SUPREME operates as a microelectronics center funded through the JUMP 2.0 program of the Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC). The center's scale reflects the complexity of modern chip research, involving more than 25 faculty members from 13 different universities, over 250 student researchers, and more than 150 industry liaisons. This collaborative framework includes partnerships with global industry leaders such as IBM and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC).

The initiative is part of a broader effort to address urgent national requirements in the United States, specifically the need to reshore semiconductor manufacturing and rebuild domestic innovation capacity. By focusing on the fundamental materials that power electronics, the center aims to create systems capable of meeting the escalating energy and performance demands of modern computing and communications.

Implications for the Industry

As the U.S. pursues semiconductor independence, the synergy between academic institutions—including Cornell, MIT, and Stanford—and industrial giants is becoming a strategic necessity. The shift toward data-driven discovery via AI and machine learning represents a fundamental change in how hardware is developed, potentially slashing the time required to move energy-efficient materials from the lab to the market.

Grace Xing, Director of SUPREME, emphasized the necessity of this evolution, noting that as society becomes increasingly dependent on computing and communications devices based on electronic systems, there is a critical opportunity to make the underlying materials and devices more efficient.

Future Outlook

Beyond the technical milestones, the center is focused on cultivating the next generation of technical talent. Gary Koretzky, Cornell's interim vice provost for research, highlighted the importance of the relationships with undergraduate and graduate students, describing them as the future scientists and workforce essential to maintaining this technological edge.

Observers will now watch how the AI-driven screening processes demonstrated at the review translate into scalable manufacturing processes. The continued integration of industry partners like TSMC will be key in determining how quickly these energy-efficient breakthroughs can be integrated into commercial hardware.