A Defense Department contractor focused on microelectronics acquisition released a request for solutions today seeking state-of-the-art microelectronics prototype devices from industry to convert into military systems.
Strategic and Spectrum Missions Advanced Resilient Trusted Systems (S2MARTS) has been working alongside the National Security Technology Accelerator (NSTXL), another government contractor, to lead the Microelectronics Commons initiative that established regional innovation hubs to bolster the U.S. microchip industrial base through prototyping, manufacturing and producing at scale.
Today’s S2MARTS request for solutions, called the “Strategic Transition of microElectronics to Accelerate Modernization by Prototyping and Innovating in the Packaging Ecosystem (STEAM PIPE 24),” is the first STEAM PIPE opportunity of 2024 and has an expected budget of approximately $40 million.
“As to the next iteration to STEAM PIPE, the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense, Research & Engineering (OUSD(R&E))’s Trusted & Assured Microelectronics program is seeking advanced packaging prototype devices that will 1) transition into a targeted military system and 2) be made available to the Defense Industrial Base (DIB) for broad use in military systems,” said a Jan. 22 notice from S2MARTS, powered by NSTXL, which is the government contractor helping lead the Microelectronics Commons.
The STEAM PIPE project specifically focuses on transforming industry packaging capabilities into DOD use and advancing new chiplet prototype development. The STEAM PIPE 24 prototype project period is expected to last 12-36 months.
“Prototyping and transition are equally important components in the STEAM PIPE project. Partnerships among the microelectronics industry and the Defense Industrial Base (DIB) will be critical to achieve the goals of STEAM PIPE,” the S2MARTS and NSTXL notice said.
The S2MARTS request noted that the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Crane, IN, is searching for a STEAM PIPE other transaction authority vehicle, which will support the State-of-the-art Heterogeneous Integrated Packaging program to run over a five-year, multi project award structure from fiscal year 2023 to FY-27.
“Virtually all the top Under Secretary [of] Defense (USD) Research & Engineering (R&E) priorities rely on some form of advanced, specialized microelectronics,” the S2MARTS and NSTXL notice said. “Because of this fundamental reliance on a single enabling technology, the DOD must have assured access to microelectronics for superior system performance.”
“To meet this need, the State-of-the-art Heterogeneous Integrated Packaging (SHIP) program was established under the Trusted and Assured Microelectronics (T&AM) program to develop advanced packaging prototype devices to facilitate the development and use of a self-sustained access model to state-of-the-art (SOTA) microelectronics advanced packaging (AP) for DOD applications,” the notice continued.
STEAM PIPE 24 is split into two areas, with Area A focusing on chiplet development and prototyping and Area B aiming to build new domestically produced packaged prototypes that can easily transition into DOD systems, according to a November statement from Darren Crum, the advanced packing lead in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering.
Chiplets designed and produced in 2023 for STEAM PIPE 23 will be made available for the defense industrial base.
Questions about the request are due March 4 and solutions themselves are due April 10 with awards expected mid-summer.
NSTXL told Inside Defense that they will release a press release with more information soon.