Top Pentagon officials began a three-week tour across the nation this week to connect with the Defense Department’s (DoD) Microelectronics Commons Hubs sites, as well as local government leaders, and experts from industry and academia.
Through Feb. 9, 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) are conducting site visits to accelerate the prototyping of advanced microchips that will “bolster the nation’s military technological advantage.”
The Commons is a CHIPS and Science Act-funded national network of eight regional innovation hubs that will provide $2 billion from fiscal years 2023 to 2027 for domestic microelectronics hardware prototyping and workforce development, the DoD said.
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 similar programs run by the Department of Commerce and the National Science Foundation.
The Executive Director of the Microelectronics Commons and Principal Director for Microelectronics, 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,” Shenoy said in a statement. “I look forward to connecting with the dedicated experts at each Hub to learn about their technical strategies and workforce development plans.”
The DoD said that stakeholders will spend three weeks visiting the hubs and engaging in technical meetings with leaders, members, and staff. The department will also connect with local government leaders to foster supportive economic environments for semiconductor research and development and production in communities across the nation.
The Microelectronics Commons Hubs are 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 the military, the DoD said.
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 Pentagon said it aims to accelerate the domestic prototyping and production of the microchips needed for national security while creating jobs in the semiconductor industry across the United States.
