As the semiconductor industry approaches the physical limits of scaling, materials science is key to unlocking performance improvements. Yet, as technologies grow more complex, both large semiconductor companies and startups face mounting pressure to accelerate R&D cycles without proportionally increasing costs. Many startups also struggle to transition from small scale, lab-based development to volume manufacturing in foundries for lack of high-quality, trustworthy data. The need for faster, more agile innovation is giving rise to a new model: R&D as a service – an approach that enables organizations to tap into expertise without bearing the full burden of infrastructure and development time.
In this lab-to-fab gap is where Intermolecular® meets the industry – more than just a lab, it is a full ecosystem solution that provides a cutting-edge, custom platform engineered to accelerate advanced materials innovation, expert services, and a state-of-the-art innovation hub. By combining high-throughput experimentation, AI/ML-driven analytics, and expert process integration services, Intermolecular® enables faster and more cost-effective learning cycles and fab-relevant validation. Real-world case studies demonstrate how this approach has delivered breakthroughs, effectively shortening the path from early-stage innovation to manufacturable solutions.
To sustain this momentum, materials innovation must be supported by a more connected and collaborative development model. Intermolecular is evolving to meet the industry’s needs– serving as a collaborative R&D powerhouse to unify efforts, compress development timelines, and enable the next generation of semiconductor technologies.
