WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The U.S. Department of Defense has announced a significant boost to the nation's microelectronics manufacturing capacity and workforce development infrastructure by awarding $269 million for 33 new technical projects under the Microelectronics Commons (ME Commons) initiative.
This investment is aimed at strengthening the United States' semiconductor manufacturing capabilities and reducing dependency on foreign sources of microelectronics, the Pentagon said in a press release.
The $269 million in awards are spread across six technical areas: four projects in quantum, totaling $32 million; four in secure edge computing, worth $25 million; five in 5G/6G, of $42 million; six in electromagnetic warfare, totaling $51 million; seven in commercial leap-ahead, amounting to $38 million; seven in artificial intelligence, to the tune of $42 million; and a Cross-Hub Enablement Solution (CHES) award, totaling $39 million.
'Under the leadership of President Biden and Vice President Harris, we're creating a new chapter in semiconductor research and development here in America,' said Arati Prabhakar, the President's Chief Advisor for Science and Technology and Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. 'These CHIPS and Science Act investments through the Microelectronics Commons will advance innovation for components that enable the most sophisticated defense systems, strengthening our national security. Today's awards are the next step forward in making sure that we win the future.'
The ME Commons, established in 2023, comprises eight regional hubs set to receive a total of $2 billion in funding from FY23 to FY27. The initiative focuses on accelerating domestic microelectronics hardware prototyping and workforce development. The ME Commons program is a key research and development initiative focused on advancing the future of American microelectronics technology.
'Microelectronics are critical to our goals of having a more reliable microelectronics supply and to deliver next-generation capabilities for our troops,' said Dr. Devanand Shenoy, executive director of the Microelectronics Commons and principal director for microelectronics in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering.
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