STMicroelectronics and the National University of Singapore (NUS) have launched the ST–NUS HELIX Corporate Lab, a four-year research programme aimed at developing advanced technologies for the next generation of edge artificial intelligence (AI). HELIX, which stands for Hardware for Embodied Low-power Intelligent Xcceleration, will focus on enabling generative and embodied AI applications directly on devices. The initiative brings together research capabilities from NUS with STMicroelectronics’ expertise in semiconductor technologies, chip design and system development.
The Corporate Lab is supported under Singapore’s Research, Innovation and Enterprise 2025 plan and is hosted by the NUS College of Design and Engineering, with participation from the School of Computing. The programme will cover areas including AI algorithms, accelerator architectures, low-power memory systems, circuit design, silicon technologies and application development.
The launch was attended by Low Yen Ling, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, and Ministry of Trade and Industry, as Guest-of-Honour. NUS President Professor Tan Eng Chye said the partnership demonstrates the value of collaboration between universities and industry in converting research into practical innovation. He said the programme will contribute to the development of advanced edge AI hardware while helping build talent and capabilities for Singapore’s semiconductor and AI sectors.
Laurent Malier, Executive Vice President, Global Technology R&D at STMicroelectronics, said the company’s integrated semiconductor capabilities provide a strong foundation for exploring new AI computing technologies. Through HELIX, ST aims to support research that can move from early technology development towards scalable semiconductor solutions.
Edge AI allows data to be processed within or close to a device instead of depending entirely on cloud infrastructure. This can provide faster responses, improved privacy, lower energy use and greater reliability where connectivity is limited. HELIX will particularly examine embodied AI, where intelligence is integrated into physical systems such as robots, humanoids and drones. Such systems require real-time processing of information from multiple sensors while operating within strict power and space limitations.
Research will cover the complete technology chain, from AI models and system architecture to accelerators, memory systems, circuit design, chip integration and silicon implementation. Key areas include memory-centric architectures, in-memory computing and scalable compute-and-memory systems.
The programme will use ST’s P18 18nm Fully Depleted Silicon On Insulator (FD-SOI) technology and embedded Phase Change Memory (PCM). These technologies can support low-power computing and help reduce data movement between processors and external memory, an important challenge for AI workloads.
ST will provide NUS with a dedicated design platform based on its P18 technology. The platform will allow researchers to develop and test new AI accelerator concepts using an industrial-grade semiconductor foundation. HELIX will also provide students and researchers with opportunities to work on industry-focused projects, helping strengthen Singapore’s talent pipeline in AI systems, semiconductor design and advanced computing.
