For the first time, Denmark is establishing production of microchip wafers at the leading standard. This makes Denmark a global player in chip production. The new “wafer factory,” which will be part of the University of Copenhagen, also gives a major advantage to Danish quantum researchers.

A study in National Science Review reports systematic observations of diazotroph abundance, community structure, and N₂ fixation rates in the western North Pacific. Using generalized additive models, the team characterized ecological niches of key cyanobacterial diazotrophs and quantified UCYN-B’s contribution to global N₂ fixation. The findings highlight UCYN-B’s pivotal role in marine N₂ fixation and provide new insights into ocean nitrogen cycle and productivity under climate change.

Inverse lithography technology (ILT) is driving transformative innovations in semiconductor patterning processes. This paper reviews the evolution of ILT, providing an analysis of the applications in semiconductor manufacturing. In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) has introduced breakthroughs for ILT, such as convolutional neural networks, generative adversarial networks, and model-driven deep learning, demonstrating potential in large-scale integrated circuit design and fabrication. This paper discusses future directions for ILT, which is expected to provide insights into semiconductor industry development.

The research team directed by H. Shimomoto and E. Ihara in Ehime University succeeded in preparing a new type of carbon-carbon main chain polymers, in which cyclic repeating units are densely incorporated around the carbon-based main chain. In addition, the team demonstrated the unique thermal behavior of the obtained polymers, compared to the corresponding polymers without cyclic structures. This achievement will contribute to the development of new functional polymer materials.

Researchers at UCLA and UC Riverside have demonstrated a new approach that overcomes these hurdles to solve some of the most difficult optimization problems. The team designed a system that processes information using a network of oscillators, components that move back and forth at certain frequencies, rather than representing all data digitally. This type of computer architecture, called an Ising machine, has special power for parallel computing, which makes numerous, complex calculations simultaneously. When the oscillators are in synch, the optimization problem is solved.