Merck and Palantir Launch Athinia, a Secure Data Collaboration Platform for Semiconductor Manufacturing

Darmstadt, Germany, December 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A global leading technology companyMerckIt was announced the other day that a new partnership has been reached with Palantir Technologies Inc., a Silicon Valley enterprise-level big data platform system builder, and a joint venture has been established. Both parties will work together to createSecure Data Collaboration and Analysis Platform -- “Athinia”The Athinia platform will leverage artificial intelligence and big data analytics to address a series of critical challenges currently faced by the global semiconductor industry, including semiconductor chip shortages, product quality, time to market, supply chain transparency, and more. Dr. Laura Matz, Chief Science and Technology Officer of Merck, will serve as the CEO of Athinia and directly lead this collaborative project.

Merck Partners with Palantir to Launch New Semiconductor Manufacturing Data Collaboration and Analytics Platform "Athinia"

The Athinia platform plans to connect and integrate relevant data from chip manufacturers and material suppliers during the wafer processing, by sharing, aggregating, and analyzing various parameters and process data, thereby...Improve the efficiency of integrated circuit manufacturing. The platform will explore the interplay and interaction between semiconductor materials, equipment, and processing techniques at a deeper level.

Semiconductor chip manufacturing is known for its ultra-precision processes and stringent quality standards. Any deviation in quality or performance across the entire value chain can have significant impacts and may result in substantial losses. The Athinia platform will also enable advanced data analytics capabilities, which will help systematically and comprehensively reduce such deviations.Improve the Quality of Semiconductor ProductsOn one hand, wafer fabs will be able to manage material usage through a secure integrated data platform and enhance collaboration with material suppliers. On the other hand, material suppliers can also benefit from the platform's big data analytics to more effectively serve the material application and innovation needs of wafer fabs. Thanks to this platform, much of the previously unused or fragmented data in semiconductor wafer processing will gain new significance, offering fresh perspectives and collaborative approaches to collectively address the numerous technological and capacity challenges currently facing the semiconductor industry.

"The global semiconductor industry is currently facing unprecedented shocks, pressures, and disruptions, leading to an urgent demand for secure data collaboration and analysis platforms. The Athinia platform we have developed this time aims to provide the much-needed data transparency and analysis services for the semiconductor industry, promoting data collaboration to help address challenges such as the global chip shortage and supply chain stability."Member of the Executive Board of Merck and CEO of Electronics Technology, Kevin Blanc (Kai Beckmann）"By partnering with Palantir, we will integrate expertise in materials science, data analysis, and data security to further assist our semiconductor industry clients in improving efficiency, quality, and innovation."

Merck and Palantir Began Cooperation as Early as 2017. At that time, the two companies jointly launched a collaboration project named Syntropy, aiming to unleash the potential of biomedical data to revolutionize cancer treatment methods. The Syntropy project provides biomedical industry researchers with an intuitive big data platform to help integrate and analyze various data from different sources.