International Workshop on Advanced Materials-to-Device Solutions for Synaptic Electronics

by Virginia Greco

The INTERSECT workshop, organised by the ICN2 in collaboration with CNR Nano (Italy), is ongoing at the Casa de Convalescencia in Barcelona.

The International Workshop on Advanced Materials-to-Device Solutions for Synaptic Electronics, organised in the framework of the EU funded INTERSECT project is taking place in these days (10-12 November 2021) at the Casa de Convalescencia in Barcelona. This event aims to provide a platform for discussion to professionals from academia, research centres and industry working in the field of synaptic electronics and neuromorphic computing, with a specific focus on the role of materials in the design of next-generation devices for these applications.

The workshop, which is being held in a hybrid format (in presence and online), has been organised by the Nanoscience Institute of the Italian National Research Council (CNR Nano) and the Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2). Among the members of the Organising and the Scientific Committees are Prof. Pablo Ordejón, ICN2 Director and leader of the Theory and Simulation Group, and Dr Arrigo Calzolari, INTERSECT Project Coordinator and researcher at CNR-Nano in Modena (Italy). The conference comprises four sessions, dedicated respectively to: ferroelectric devices and materials; interoperability, ontology and workflow in material modelling; alternative solutions for neuromorphic computing; and phase change materials and devices. Given the interdisciplinary of this field of research, electrical engineers, physicists, chemists and materials scientists expert in these topics are contributing to the debate.

The INTERSECT project has been conceived to leverage European leadership in materials’ modelling software and infrastructure to provide novel solutions for big data, machine learning, and quantum computing. The resulting IM2D framework –an interoperable material-to-device simulation platform– will integrate some of the most used open-source materials modelling codes (Quantum ESPRESSO and SIESTA) with models and modelling software for emerging devices (GinestraTM) via the SimPhoNy infrastructure for semantic interoperability and ontologies, powered by the AiiDA workflow engine, and its data-on-demand capabilities and apps interface.

The video of most of the sessions will be soon available on the ICN2 YouTube Channel. Stay tuned! The INTERSECT project, the above mentioned workshop and the video recording have been possible thanks to the funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme, under grant agreement No 814487.