Singapore, Aug 26, 2026 – STMicroelectronics (ST) and the National University of Singapore (NUS) have launched the ST–NUS HELIX Corporate Lab, a four-year research program on generative and embodied AI applications. HELIX (Hardware for Embodied Low-power Intelligent Xcceleration) centers on a chip design platform built on ST’s P18 18nm Fully Depleted Silicon On Insulator (FD-SOI) process with embedded Phase Change Memory (PCM). The program is supported under Singapore’s Research, Innovation and Enterprise 2025 (RIE2025) plan and is hosted at NUS’s College of Design and Engineering, with participation from the School of Computing at NUS.
NUS president Professor Tan Eng Chye said: “The ST–NUS HELIX Corporate Lab is a testament to the value of industry–academia partnerships in translating research into innovation. By combining NUS’ research strengths with STMicroelectronics’ industrial capabilities, we are building not only advanced, cutting-edge edge AI hardware, but also the talent and ecosystem that will help define the future of Singapore’s semiconductor and AI industries.”
Laurent Malier, executive vice president, global technology R&D at STMicroelectronics, said: “ST’s strength as an integrated device manufacturer lies in our ability to bring together advanced silicon technologies, embedded memory, circuit design, heterogeneous integration and chiplets. Through HELIX, we are creating an industrially relevant foundation to explore differentiated AI computing technologies and accelerate the translation of promising research into scalable semiconductor solutions.”
Research at HELIX spans AI algorithms, accelerator architectures, low-power memory systems, circuit design, silicon technologies and application development. NUS contributes expertise in integrated circuits, computer architecture, AI models and system design, while ST brings its work in semiconductor technology.
Within that scope, the lab targets embodied AI, in which computing is built into a physical device, such as a robot, humanoid or drone, combining multi-modal sensing, on-device computing and real-time actuation. Delivering that kind of intelligence efficiently, on compact and power-constrained hardware, is the challenge HELIX is built to address. That work falls under Physical AI, systems that perceive, reason and act in the physical world. Edge AI, which processes data on or near a device instead of sending it to remote cloud servers, reduces response times, keeps data local, reduces energy use and lets systems keep working in environments with limited or intermittent network connectivity.
Research will cover AI models, system architecture, heterogeneous accelerators, on-chip memory hierarchies, circuit design, chip integration and silicon implementation. The work will examine memory-centric architectures, in-memory computing and compute-and-memory systems. P18 FD-SOI uses adaptive body biasing to manage power consumption. Embedded PCM provides non-volatile storage on the same die as the on-chip SRAM hierarchy. Combining these memory technologies is intended to reduce off-chip data transfers, which contribute to energy use in memory-bound AI workloads. HELIX will examine energy consumption, memory bandwidth, latency, scalability and integration in edge AI systems.
ST will provide NUS with a design chassis based on its P18 18nm FD-SOI technology. The chassis combines ST’s silicon, architecture, integration and engineering work in a platform for developing, integrating and validating AI accelerator concepts. Under the partnership, researchers from NUS and ST will work together on research packages, talent development, intellectual property creation and demonstration projects.
The Corporate Lab was launched by Ms Low Yen Ling, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, and Ministry of Trade and Industry, as Guest-of-Honour.
Source: STMicroelectronics
About National University of Singapore (NUS)
The National University of Singapore (NUS) is a public research university headquartered in Singapore. It traces its origins to a medical school established in 1905. The current institution formed in 1980 through the merger of the University of Singapore and Nanyang University. NUS offers undergraduate, graduate, professional and continuing education programs. Its fields include engineering, computing, medicine, law, business, science and the humanities. The university conducts research in AI, health, energy, sustainability and other areas. It serves students, researchers, government agencies, companies and nonprofit organizations. NUS also handles industry research, technology licensing, executive education and startup support. The university enrolled about 45,000 students during the 2024-25 academic year, including approx.. 30,000 undergraduates and about 16,000 graduate students. It reported 13,000 faculty and staff members on a full-time-equivalent basis.
About STMicroelectronics
STMicroelectronics (ST) is a semiconductor company founded in 1987. It designs and manufactures microcontrollers, sensors, power devices and other analog and mixed-signal components. The company operates as an integrated device manufacturer with in-house production that supports large-volume supply for global markets. Its customers include automotive, industrial, consumer electronics and communications equipment manufacturers. ST also works with technology partners to develop components used in mobility systems, energy and power management equipment and connected devices. The company reports ongoing efforts to reduce emissions across its operations and increase the share of renewable electricity in its manufacturing sites, with a goal to reach full renewable sourcing by 2027. ST is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. It serves more than 200,000 customers worldwide and employs about 50,000 people. Its technologies support applications that require efficient power conversion, sensing, processing and connectivity. The company expands its portfolio to support automotive, industrial, consumer and connected system applications through integrated design and manufacturing.
