The Academic Committee of the State Key Laboratory of Analog and Mixed-Signal VLSI (AMS-VLSI Lab) at the University of Macau (UM) recently held its fourth meeting, which involved both in-person and virtual elements. During the meeting, committee members reviewed the current development of the lab. They recognised the lab’s development direction and provided suggestions for its future development as well as the commercialisation of its research results.

Officiating guests at the opening ceremony included Chan Wan Hei, president of the Administrative Committee of the Science and Technology Development Fund (FDCT) of Macao SAR; Ip Kuai Lam, member of the Administrative Committee of the FDCT; Rui Martins, vice rector of UM and director of the AMS-VLSI Lab; and Franco Maloberti, chair of the Academic Committee of the AMS-VLSI Lab.

Some members of the Academic Committee joined the meeting remotely. They were Liu Ming, member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences; Wang Zhihua, professor of Tsinghua University; Hong Zhiliang, professor of Fudan University; Howard Cam Luong, professor of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology; Wu Chung-Yu, professor of Yang Ming Chiao Tung University; Akira Matsuzawa, professor of the Tokyo Institute of Technology; and Boris Murmann, professor of Stanford University,

The meeting included presentations of research findings, closed-door sessions, and discussions on evaluation reports. Prof Martins reported on the lab’s progress and achievements since its establishment in 2011. He also outlined plans for the lab’s future development.

Members of the Academic Committee recognised the lab’s achievements, including scientific research and education in state-of-the-art nanometer semiconductor processes, and the development of an innovative human resource platform with world-class integrated circuits design and hardware infrastructure.

Over the years, the lab has collaborated with various enterprises in the Greater Bay Area and other parts of China to commercialise its scientific and technological achievements. The lab has also been a major force in the promotion of research and development of analog and mixed-signal integrated circuits in China, with the aim of creating an impact at the national and international levels.

Academic Committee members suggest that the lab should expand its research teams and commercialise its research results, while maintaining quality in education and scientific research. In addition, the committee encourages the lab to keep a balance between developing state-of-the-art projects and supporting high-tech activities in meeting its goals for the next stage.