The Microelectronics Commons initiative has released a comprehensive list of the 33 semiconductor technology projects that have been chosen to receive the program's first round of funding.
The announcement came just over two weeks after the Defense Department announced the project awards and embarked on a cross-country tour with senior White House officials to three of the regional eight hubs enabling the projects.
The hubs focus on six critical technology areas of interest: 5G/6G, commercial leap ahead technologies, artificial intelligence hardware, electromagnetic warfare, quantum technology and secure edge/Internet of Things (IoT) computing.
Approximately $42 million in funding will be spread across five projects with a concentration on 5G/6G. About $38 million in funding will be distributed across seven projects focused on commercial leap-ahead technologies. Approximately $42 million will go to the seven projects centered on AI hardware and about $51 million will be awarded to the six projects focused on electromagnetic warfare, according to DOD.
Approximately $32 million in funding will be spread across four projects with a concentration on quantum technology and nearly $25 million will go to the four projects focused on secure edge/IoT computing.
There is also a $39 million award for a Cross-Hub Enablement Solution that would provide equal access to electronic design automation (EDA) tools providing essential software, hardware and service capabilities enabling the design of chips and semiconductor devices.
Those would include Cadence, Synopsys, Siemens, Keysight and Ansys tools “supported by Nimbus and Microsoft cloud with other tools identified at a project level,” according to an initial project award announcement from the National Security Technology Accelerator (NSTXL).
CA DREAMS Hub: $31.9M, 2 projects
Northrop Grumman leads both initiatives awarded project funds via the California Defense Ready Electronics and Microdevices Superhub (DREAMS), which is directed by the University of Southern California.
The first initiative, set to receive $16.2 million aims to mature “advanced gallium nitride technology” to facilitate high-power, high-efficiency broad-spectrum solutions for “future DOD Electronic Warfare systems,” according to a release from the Information Sciences Institute at the USC Vitterbi School of Engineering.
Steve Crago, director of the CA DREAMS Hub, said he’s “thrilled” to have Northrop running the project’s technical execution.
“They are a leader in developing advanced [gallium nitride] technologies, and their involvement in this hub and leadership on this project ensure that we can rapidly translate cutting-edge research from our university labs into deployable solutions for the Department of Defense,” Crago said in a statement accompanying the release.
Meanwhile, a $15.7 million award will go to the CA DREAMS initiative supporting the rapid development of “5G/6G-relevant prototypes” enabling high-frequency, wireless communications for dual use, as well.
“This collaboration will connect new levels of the microelectronics ecosystem and apply them toward diverse 5G/6G needs across future DOD and commercial systems,” Monte Watanabe, RF/mixed-signal assistant department manager at Northrop Grumman, said in the release.
MMEC Hub: Over $31M, 5 projects
The Midwest Microelectronics Consortium Hub is set to receive $17.4 million across two projects centered on electromagnetic warfare, with $8 million to go to the hub’s initiative for microelectronics enabling 5G/6G applications and $1.6 million allocated to the consortium’s project on microelectronics for AI hardware applications.
Additionally, $4.8 million is set to go toward an initiative led by Northrop Grumman in the MMEC Hub for secure edge/IoT applications.
The project, called “Validated GPU Based Secure Processing Module,” will focus on “developing reliable and secure [Graphics Processing Unit] technologies that enable warfighters to operate at the tactical edge which increases survivability during times of conflict,” Randy Sandhu, director of programs at Northrop Grumman Microelectronics Center, told Inside Defense.
SCMC Hub: Nearly $27M, 4 projects
The Silicon Crossroads Microelectronics Commons Hub, led by Applied Research Institute, is set to receive approximately $26.9 million across four projects. Two initiatives focused on microelectronics enabling secure edge/IoT applications are set to receive $2.8 and $9.2 million. The latter two projects, centered on the use of microelectronics for AI hardware and electromagnetic warfare applications, are set to receive $8.7 million and $6.3 million, respectively.
SCMC Hub lead Brooke Pyne said the hub system’s collaborative nature enables the technologies developed via the projects.
“Our members are the driving forces behind our ecosystem, propelling us forward and shaping the future of innovation,” Pyne said in the ARI release announcing the hub’s awarded projects.
SWAP Hub: Nearly $30M, 5 projects
The Southwest Advanced Prototyping Hub, led by Arizona State University, is set to receive approximately $29.6 million in awards across five projects. Two initiatives centered on microelectronics for 5G/6G applications are set to receive $5.1 and $5.7 million. One initiative centered on microelectronics for AI hardware, commercial leap-ahead and secure edge/IoT applications are set to receive $6 million, $5 million and $7.8 million, respectively, according to the project awards list.
“These project awards enable us to translate the Hub’s capabilities into impact by solving pressing national security technology challenges,” Michael Crow, ASU president, said in a press release announcing the hub’s project awards from the school.
Northeast hubs: Approximately $68M, 10 projects
The Northeast Microelectronics Coalition (NEMC) Hub, headed by the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, will receive nearly $38 million across six projects -- two focused on microelectronics for electromagnetic warfare applications and one each focused on microelectronics for applications in commercial leap-ahead technologies, quantum technology, artificial intelligence hardware and 5G/6G.
“This is exactly how we need to approach national security moving forward: cutting-edge innovation driven right here on American soil,” Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA) said in an NEMC release announcing the awards.
The Northeast Regional Defense Technology (NORDTECH) Hub, led by its five founding members, is set to receive over $30 million across three projects focused on microelectronics for quantum technology applications, and one focused on microelectronics for applications in commercial leap-ahead technologies.
NORDTECH’s founding members include the New York Center for Research, Economic Advancement, Technology, Engineering and Science (NY CREATES); the University of Albany College of Nanotechnology, Science and Engineering (CNSE); Cornell University; Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) and IBM.
“This $30+ million in federal funding for NORDTECH will not only advance the cutting-edge research and development that is happening in New York State but will also provide a major boost to our national security,” Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) said in a release announcing the NORDTECH project awards from Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office.
Technology area-specific hubs: $35.3M, 7 projects
The California-Pacific-Northwest AI Hardware (NW AI) Hub, co-led by Stanford University and the University of California-Berkeley, is set to receive $16.3 million across three projects focused on microelectronics technologies for applications in AI hardware.
H. S. Philip Wong, chair of the NW AI Hub’s executive committee and electrical engineering professor at Stanford, said the region was “delighted to have the opportunity to contribute to the lab-to-fab translation of advanced AI hardware technologies that are essential to ensure the national security and economic development of this country,” in a release announcing the hub’s project awards from UC-Berkeley.
The Commercial Leap Ahead for Wide-bandgap Semiconductors (CLAWS) Hub, led by North Carolina State University, is expected to receive $19 million in funding across four projects, all focused on semiconductor manufacturing for applications in commercial leap-ahead technologies.