Representatives from the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research & Engineering, Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) — Crane Division, and National Security Technology Accelerator (NSTXL) will embark on a three-week tour across the nation, Jan. 22 to Feb. 9. Site visits will connect with the Microelectronics Commons Hubs, local government leaders, and experts from industry and academia to accelerate the prototyping of advanced microchips that will bolster our nation's military technological advantage.
The Commons is a CHIPS and Science Act-funded national network of eight regional innovation Hubs that will provide $2B from FY23 to FY27 for domestic microelectronics hardware prototyping and workforce development. As part of President Biden's Investing in America agenda, the goal of the Commons is to connect regional organizations through Innovation Hubs to accelerate lab to fab prototyping for technology that is vital to the Department, and to strengthen local economies through a workforce that supports those regions, complementing programs run by the Department of Commerce and the National Science Foundation.
The Executive Director of the Microelectronics Commons and Principal Director for Microelectronics, Dr. Devanand Shenoy, will visit all eight Hubs dedicated to prototyping cutting-edge microchips needed for U.S. defense systems. "The Commons is crucial to ensuring a domestic supply of cutting-edge microchips that are integral to the systems our warfighters use now and into the future," said Dr. Shenoy. "I look forward to connecting with the dedicated experts at each Hub to learn about their technical strategies and workforce development plans."
Stakeholders from the Department and interagency will spend three weeks visiting the Hubs and engaging in technical meetings with the Hub leaders, members, and staff. They will also connect with local government leaders to foster supportive economic environments for semiconductor research and development and production in communities across the nation.
In line with President Biden's vision, the Commons is positioned to support a revitalization of manufacturing in America that can be seen and felt across the nation. The Hubs encompass more than 430 organizations — over 100 of which are academic institutions — spanning 35 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Through this investment, the Department aims to accelerate the domestic prototyping and production of the microchips we need for our national security while creating jobs in the semiconductor industry across the United States.
In December, the Department released its Microelectronics Commons FY24 Call for Projects (CFP) to catalyze semiconductor innovation in America. The CFP will support up to $280 million to projects focused on domestic prototyping and fabrication of microelectronics, with the goal of building a sustainable pipeline of domestically produced, state-of-the-art microelectronics for our military. These site visits will include conversations with technical experts and program leaders at each Hub about how they can best support future project opportunities.
The Commons site visit tour is scheduled as follows:
22 January: Southern California, where the University of Southern California (USC) leads the California Defense Ready Electronics and Microdevices Superhub (CA DREAMS)
24 January: Northern California, where Stanford University and Berkeley College lead the California-Pacific-Northwest Artificial Intelligence Hardware Hub (NORTHWEST AI)
26 January: Arizona, where Arizona State University (ASU) leads the Southwest Advanced Prototyping Hub (SWAP)
30 January: Massachusetts, where the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative leads the Northeast Microelectronics Coalition Hub (NEMC)
1 February: New York, where SUNY Polytechnic leads the Northeast Regional Defense Tech Hub (NORDTECH)
5 February: North Carolina, where North Carolina State leads the Commercial Leap Ahead for Wide-bandgap Semiconductors Hub (CLAWS)
7 February: Ohio, where the Midwest Microelectronics Consortium leads the Midwest Microelectronics Consortium Hub (MMEC)
9 February: Indiana, where the Applied Research Institute leads the Silicon Crossroads Microelectronics Commons Hub (SCMC)
