LAM Research Event Shows Key Chiplet Technologies, Awards Innovators
LAM Research Event Shows Key Chiplet Technologies, Awards Innovators
Publish Date: 2026-05-29 10:39:00
Source Domain: www.forbes.com
I attended LAM Research’s Future of AI and Semiconductors Event last week. LAM manufactures advanced semiconductor etching, including the deep etching required for creating 3D NAND memory cells, and plating solutions and has an active program to support advanced packaging and heterogeneous integration. The event featured investment pitch presentations from 10 startup participants from all over the world, selected from 180 applicants, with a total prize for the participants of $1M, see below.
LAM Research Capital Venture Pitch Participants
Tom Coughlin
The participants were involved in industries such as advanced robotics, generative and physical AI, heterogeneous integration, semiconductor manufacturing, photonics and other topics. One of these other topics including a magnetic memory technology from a Belgian company called Vertical Compute, presented by the company’s CEO and co-founder, Sylvain Dubois.
The overall winner of the competition was Diana Mojahed, founder and CEO of Lightfinder. Her company is developing a breakthrough photonics-based metrology solution enabling real-time process control. The runner-up was nsc (New Silicon Corporation), a Singapore-based statup developing optical interconnect technology and heterogeneous integration of III-V semiconductors to CMOS for photonic devices.
Vertical Compute is a spin off from imec, the advanced nano-technology development consortium located in Belgium. The company is offering a vertical integrated magnetic memory technology, shown below.
Vertical Data Magnetic Memory
Tom Coughlin
The bits are stored as patterns of magnetic domains in a vertical magnetic wire and are read using a magnetic tunnel junction device. This approach is somewhat similar to the racetrack memory technology proposed by Stuart Parkin at IBM several years ago. It is integrated into standard semiconductor logic in a back end of line process and is intended to be a 3D chiplet device that reduces the communication path from data…
