The semiconductor industry is approaching a critical juncture as silicon-based transistors near their physical limits at around 3nm, slowing the exponential performance growth predicted by Moore's Law. This stagnation threatens progress across industries from AI to medical devices that rely on continuous improvements in computing power. While chip designers use architectural innovations to compensate, the fundamental limitations of silicon remain the core constraint.

Next-Generation Semiconductor Materials

One approach to address this challenge could involve developing and commercializing atomically thin 2D materials like graphene and transition metal dichalcogenides. These materials offer:

• Significantly better electron mobility
• Superior thermal properties
• Potential for 3D integration
• Additional functionalities like optical and quantum properties

The initiative could combine materials innovation with advanced fabrication techniques and chip architecture co-design. For chip manufacturers, data center operators, and electronics brands, this could provide a path to maintain performance improvements without massive capital expenditures on existing silicon infrastructure.

Execution Strategy

A phased approach might look like:

1. Establish partnerships and demonstrate lab-scale prototypes (Years 1-3)
2. Develop pilot production with foundry partners and design tools (Years 4-6)
3. Scale production and expand to mainstream markets (Years 7+)

Initial focus could be on applications where silicon particularly struggles, such as extreme environments, to demonstrate clear advantages before broader adoption.

Differentiation from Existing Efforts

Unlike semiconductor giants focusing on incremental silicon improvements or academic programs lacking commercial focus, this approach could pursue more radical material replacements with a clear commercialization path. The key would be developing vertically integrated expertise spanning from fundamental materials to complete systems, rather than just focusing on transistor-level improvements.

By addressing the entire stack from materials to applications, this could potentially enable not just faster transistors but fundamentally new computing paradigms that silicon cannot support.