MIDAS Ireland warmly welcomes the announcement by Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science James Lawless TD, of the Research Ireland supported Rinn Semiconductors research centre which will be key to supplying breakthrough research and innovation into Ireland’s semiconductor ecosystem.
Our sector employs about 20,000 people in Ireland and contributes about €13.5b annually in exports. Semiconductors is an R&D intensive industry with companies often spending up to 20% of their global revenues in this area, and well in excess of €500M of that annually in Ireland. Research is a critical enabler for the ecosystem, and as this is a global industry, Ireland’s research capability needs to be able to compete with the best.
MIDAS is delighted with the ambition of Rinn Semiconductors and looks forward to the fruits of this ambition coming through over the coming years and beyond. MIDAS would like to thank Tyndall National Institute for their leadership in progressing the research agenda in support of this sector and Research Ireland for their ongoing strong support.
With a Research Ireland award of €71m, Rinn Semiconductors will focus on advancing heterogeneously integrated semiconductor systems, addressing the global challenge posed by the slowing of traditional chip scaling. The centre will pioneer chiplet-based design and advanced packaging technologies, enabling more powerful, efficient, and adaptable semiconductor systems.
The Centre Director is Professor Paul Townsend, Tyndall, and brings together a consortium of leading institutions:
- Tyndall National Institute
- University College Cork
- Trinity College Dublin
- Munster Technological University
- Dublin City University
- University of Galway
- University of Limerick
Through this collaboration, the centre will support principal investigators and co-applicants and train over 100 PhD researchers and up to 200 postdoctoral researchers, building a significant talent pipeline for Ireland’s strong semiconductor sector, which comprises 130 indigenous and multinational companies, supports 20,000 jobs and generates €13.5 billion in annual exports. Rinn Semiconductor will support the growth of this sector through the provision of ideas, technology and talent.
A key goal of Rinn Semiconductors is to build a connected “atom-to-systems” value chain in Ireland. By using Tyndall’s facilities and bringing together expertise from partner organisations, the centre will link early-stage materials research with system-level innovation and commercial applications.
Research will target three high-impact domains; Future Internet technologies, sustainable energy and environmental systems, and digital healthcare solutions.
This approach is designed to accelerate the translation of research into real-world technologies, supporting Ireland’s economic competitiveness and technological sovereignty.
Professor Paul Townsend, Centre Director, said:
“Rinn Semiconductors represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to redefine how we design and build hardware and smart systems. By advancing chiplet-based architectures, through heterogeneous integration and advanced packaging, we are moving beyond the limits of traditional scaling and opening up entirely new pathways for performance, efficiency, and functionality. This centre brings together exceptional expertise from across Ireland, and by working collaboratively through Tyndall’s facilities, we will create a truly integrated research ecosystem that can deliver impact from fundamental science through to real-world applications in communications, healthcare, and sustainable technologies.”
Speaking on the announcement, Professor William Scanlon, CEO, Tyndall, said:
“We are proud to lead Rinn Semiconductors at a time when semiconductor innovation is critical to global technological progress. This centre will build on Tyndall’s and our partner institution’s long-standing strengths in microelectronics and photonics, while fostering unprecedented collaboration across Ireland’s research system. By connecting materials, devices, and systems research, and aligning closely with industry partners, we aim to position Ireland as a global leader in next-generation semiconductor technologies.”
The establishment of Rinn Semiconductors aligns closely with the Government’s ‘Silicon Island’ National Semiconductor Strategy, as well as Impact 2030, the European Chips Act and Tyndall’s Strategic Plan 2030.
