Atoms, Bits, and National Interest (ABNI)

Catalog description

Semiconductor computing technology has shaped and will continue to shape the trajectory of our world. Atoms, Bits, and the National Interest (ABNI) is a new EE course that explains this foundational technology and explores its impact based on a micro-to-macro approach on what we call the "tech stack of society." Grappling with the interplay of technological breakthroughs in microelectronics, the advances in semiconductor manufacturing process technology that drive cost down and quality up, the computing power that fuels modern applications, and the magnification of national power that results, ABNI merges engineering, manufacturing, and public policy disciplines along the key vector of semiconductor technology. A technical EE course at its core, students will develop a quantitative understanding of the physical and engineering principles underlying this foundational semiconductor computing technology - from fabricating advanced transistors to designing microsystems, architecting cutting-edge chips, and scaling the computing hardware systems that consequential modern applications run on. Academic and industry experts will give tutorials and engage in technical panel discussions on the technology fundamental, innovation, scaling, socioeconomic impact, and policy ramification of this defining strategic technology at the core of AI, autonomy, and infrastructure.