Singapore, 27 February 2012 – A*STAR Institute of Microelectronics (IME), has signed a research collaboration
agreement with Petroleum Geo-Services (OSE:PGS), a focused geophysical company
headquartered in Oslo, Norway that provides a broad range of seismic and reservoir
services, including acquisition, processing, interpretation, and field evaluation. IME will
develop rugged inertial sensing technology to enable PGS to acquire more precise
seismic data at much higher sensitivity and at ultra-low frequencies.
Singapore has a vibrant ecosystem in the Oil and Gas Industry with the presence of first
tier companies in oilfield services and downhole systems, offshore and subsea system
and marine vessel design and engineering. The Rugged Electronics programme, led by
IME, aims to develop sensors, packaging, telemetry, non-volatile memory and
integrated circuit solutions for extreme high pressure and temperature relevant to oil
well exploration. The partnership with PGS will leverage IME’s breadth of integrated
capabilities in sensor design, fabrication, test and signal conditioning electronics design
to develop high sensitivity, high resolution and low power sensor designs which are of
one to two orders of magnitude better than current state-of-the-art. This will enable PGS
to explore deeper oil and gas reserves and provide better results to its customers.
“This collaboration demonstrates the diverse industrial applicability of our research.”
commented Professor Dim-Lee Kwong, Executive Director of IME. “We have a strong
programme in Rugged Electronics for development of sensor, packaging and
electronics technologies for oil and gas applications, which will help PGS address their
challenges and deliver impactful solutions to the oil and gas industry.”
“IME has a strong track record in microelectronics capabilities and has developed
inertial sensors for many applications,” said Rune Tenghamn, VP, Innovation &
Business Development of PGS. “This partnership enables us to gain new technological
capabilities that will take our service offering to a higher level of performance.”
About the Institute of Microelectronics (IME)
The Institute of Microelectronics (IME) is a research institute of the Science and
Engineering Research Council of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research
(A*STAR). Positioned to bridge the R&D between academia and industry, IME's mission
is to add value to Singapore's semiconductor industry by developing strategic
competencies, innovative technologies and intellectual property; enabling enterprises to
be technologically competitive; and cultivating a technology talent pool to inject new
knowledge to the industry. Its key research areas are in integrated circuits design,
advanced packaging, bioelectronics and medical devices, MEMS, nanoelectronics, and
photonics. For more information, visit IME on the Internet: http://www.ime.a-star.edu.sg.
About the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)
The Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) is the lead agency for
fostering world-class scientific research and talent for a vibrant knowledge-based and
innovation-driven Singapore. A*STAR oversees 14 biomedical sciences, and physical
sciences and engineering research institutes, and seven consortia & centre, which are
located in Biopolis and Fusionopolis, as well as their immediate vicinity. A*STAR
supports Singapore's key economic clusters by providing intellectual, human and
industrial capital to its partners in industry. It also supports extramural research in the
universities, hospitals, research centres, and with other local and international partners.
About Petroleum Geo-Services (PGS)
Petroleum Geo-Services (OSE:PGS) offers a broad range of products including; seismic
and electromagnetic services, data acquisition, processing, reservoir
analysis/interpretation and multi-client library data. We help oil companies to find oil and
gas reserves offshore worldwide. PGS has a presence in over 25 countries with
regional centers in London, Houston and Singapore. Our headquarters is in Oslo,
Norway and the PGS share is listed on the Oslo stock exchange (OSE:PGS). For more
information on Petroleum Geo-Services visit http://www.pgs.com/
Media Contact:
Cindy Chew
Institute of Microelectronics
DID: +65 6770 5375
Email: chewwfc@ime.a-star.edu.sg