RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Leaders of the National Science Foundation (NSF) and Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC), the world’s leading university-research consortium for semiconductors and related technologies, today announced a major joint initiative for multi-core chip design and architecture. The three-year program, funded by the two organizations, will focus on several components of multi-core system architecture design that can significantly enhance and accelerate solutions for advancing semiconductor performance. About $6 million in funding is available to U.S. universities, who have been invited to submit research proposals in key areas.