The "2025 Semiconductor Innovation and Intelligent Application Summit (SIIAS)," co-hosted by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) and SEMI, is taking place at Hong Kong Science Park on 2 December 2025. This landmark industry event marks the first time SIIAS has been held in Hong Kong, supported by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, reinforcing the city’s status as a global hub for microelectronics and advanced manufacturing innovation. The summit brings together global semiconductor industry leaders, pioneering researchers and key policymakers to collaboratively shape the future of semiconductor innovation and drive the industry's strategic development. AI Chip Center for Emerging Smart Systems (ACCESS) is privileged to participate as a supporting organization to the summit.
During the summit, ACCESS showcased two iconic research and development achievements, including:
- Ultra-high Energy Efficiency AI Accelerator for Portable Healthcare Devices: Addressing critical healthcare disparities, ACCESS has created a breakthrough portable AI retinal screening system for early detection of diabetes- and hypertension-related eye diseases. The device incorporates a custom-designed low-power AI chip featuring algorithm-architecture co-optimization, enabling accurate, network-independent diagnostics with professional-grade reliability. This solution specifically targets accessibility challenges in rural and underserved communities, providing rapid screening with complete data privacy protection and eliminating the need for specialized medical infrastructure.
- Digital Compute-In-Memory (DCIM) Enabled Portable Genome Analysis Prototype: ACCESS has pioneered a transformative approach to AI chip design with its DCIM technology, which physically integrates memory and computing units to dramatically enhance energy efficiency and processing speed. The center developed AutoDCIM, the industry's first dedicated EDA tool for DCIM circuit design, streamlining development and accelerating commercialization. This innovation powers a portable genomic analyzer that delivers laboratory-grade DNA testing in resource-limited settings, winning the prestigious "Gold Medal with Jury’s Congratulations" at the 50th International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva.
Additionally, ACCESS showcased the Smart Rehabilitation Robotic System in the interactive innovation zone at the summit. This system is co-designed by HKUST Cheng Kar-Shun Robotics Institute (CKSRI) and powered by the AC-Transformer AI chip developed by ACCESS, which can analyze human dynamics and posture in real-time, significantly enhancing the accuracy of rehabilitation treatments while providing immediate posture analysis and guidance for seniors. This intelligent rehabilitation robot system is equipped with the optimized AC-Transformer AI chip (presented at ISSCC 2025), achieving a coordinated design between software applications and hardware. The AC-Transformer chip, utilizing a 28nm process, symbolizes an innovative breakthrough in AI accelerators and assistive robots, demonstrating how advanced chip design can propel intelligent applications in healthcare.
ACCESS will continue to delve into research and development, focusing on developing high-performance, low-power AI chips and solutions, particularly in cutting-edge areas such as edge computing, in-memory computing, and hardware-software co-design. ACCESS looks forward to collaborating with global partners to advance semiconductor technology and achieve more groundbreaking research results in the field of intelligent applications.
About the 2025 Semiconductor Innovation and Intelligent Application Summit (SIIAS)
The Semiconductor Innovation and Intelligent Application Summit (SIIAS) is an industry event co-hosted by HKUST and SEMI, aimed at gathering global semiconductor industry elites to explore industry trends, technological innovations, and future development strategies, further promoting Hong Kong as a global hub for microelectronics and advanced manufacturing innovation. For more event information and details, please visit: https://hkust.edu.hk/news/hkust-and-semi-co-host-inaugural-2025-semiconductor-innovation-and-intelligent-application
