CHIPS Program Office Funding Opportunity Update
Due to overwhelming demand for CHIPS incentive funding, along with recent changes in the FY2024 appropriations law, the CHIPS Program Office has decided not to move forward at this time with the Notice of Funding Opportunity for the construction, modernization, or expansion of semiconductor research and development (R&D) facilities in the United States.
Bolstering domestic semiconductor R&D remains a top priority of the CHIPS for America program, and the CHIPS R&D Office, which is investing $11 billion into developing a robust domestic R&D ecosystem, has and will have future funding opportunities for R&D projects. CHIPS for America encourages interested parties to visit the CHIPS website to learn more about the National Semiconductor Technology Center (NSTC), the National Advanced Packaging Manufacturing Program (NAPMP), including the current NAPMP funding opportunity, CHIPS Metrology, CHIPS Manufacturing USA Program, and future announcements.
REMINDER: CHIPS Research & Development Funding Opportunity
As part of the National Advanced Packaging Manufacturing Program, the U.S. Department of Commerce issued a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to seek applications for research and development (R&D) activities that will establish and accelerate domestic capacity for advanced packaging substrates and substrate materials, a key technology for manufacturing semiconductors. CHIPS for America anticipates approximately $300 million in funding innovation across multiple technologies ranging from semiconductor-based to glass and organics. This is the first NOFO released by the CHIPS for America R&D program office, and the third NOFO released overall by CHIPS for America.
Mandatory concept papers are due on April 12, 2024.
Department of Commerce Receives Over 160 Concept Plans Across 30 States for CHIPS for America Funding Opportunity for Small Supply Chain Projects
Today, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced significant interest in its funding opportunity for small supply chain projects. This funding opportunity, released in September 2023, requested applications for projects with capital investment below $300 million involving the construction, expansion, or modernization of commercial facilities in the United States for semiconductor materials and equipment.
Since the opening of the Concept Plan phase of the application process in December 2023, the Department received a total of 165 concept plans for projects across 30 states, with Arizona, Texas, and California being the largest states represented. Among those concept plans submitted, 41 projects came from 15 consortia, in line with the Department’s recommendation to apply in groups that would leverage existing connections between companies, state and local governments, and other regional organizations to build regional semiconductor clusters.
CLOSING TODAY: Natcast Releases Request for Information
Earlier this month, the National Center for the Advancement of Semiconductor Technology (Natcast) released its first Request for Information (RFI) on R&D Prototyping Facilities and Capabilities – Use Cases and Market Demand. The purpose of this RFI is to gather community input on current capabilities and gaps in the R&D prototyping landscape. Responses will help inform the requirements for potential National Semiconductor Technology Center (NSTC) facilities. More information about Natcast and the RFI can be found on the Natcast website.
Submissions are due TODAY, March 29, 2024.
New Natcast Leaders
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Susan Feindt, Senior Vice President of Ecosystem Development: Susan Feindt is an experienced semiconductor industry executive who has been a leader of technology strategy and innovation for over 36 years at Analog Devices (ADI). Prior to her most recent assignment in the CTO office, Feindt was responsible for Advanced Process and Device development at ADI. Feindt has served on many industry and academic advisory boards, and formerly served as vice-chair of the Department of Commerce’s Industrial Advisory Committee (IAC) formed through the CHIPS Act.
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Jade Borgeson, Director of Strategic Initiatives at the Workforce Center of Excellence: Prior to joining Natcast, Jade led the Policy division at Research Improving People’s Lives (RIPL), a tech-for-social-impact nonprofit that works with governments to help them use data, science, and technology to improve policy and program administration. In this role, she led the expansion of tech-government partnerships in service of state workforce initiatives. In 2020, Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo appointed Jade to serve on the state’s COVID-19 Emergency Taskforce as the Economic Re-Opening Lead.
SAVE THE DATE: CHIPS NAPMP & NASA AMES Advanced Packaging Summit
This Summit will bring together technical experts from industry, academia, government, and industry alliances to identify key technical challenges and strategic approaches in advanced packaging. The Summit is a hybrid virtual and in-person event at the NASA Ames Conference Center in Moffett Field, California.
WEBINAR: CHIPS Commercial Viability and Domestic Production (CVDP) Guidebook and Related Intellectual Property Protections
The CHIPS R&D Office will first provide an overview the CHIPS Commercial Viability and Domestic Production (CVDP) Plan Guidebook and its related intellectual property protections. The guidebook is a resource for applicants and performers seeking to respond to CHIPS R&D funding opportunities. Then, CHIPS for America will answer questions on these topics from the CHIPS NAPMP Materials and Substrates Proposer’s Day that took place on, Tuesday, March 12, 2024.
WHEN: April 1, 2024, at 2PM ET.
WEBINAR: Update on the National Semiconductor Technology Center
The CHIPS for America Research and Development (R&D) Program and Natcast, the operator of the CHIPS for America National Semiconductor Technology Center (NSTC), will host a webinar to provide an overview of the NSTC’s vision and mission, an update on 2024 priorities for the NSTC, the standing up of Natcast, and the first NSTC research opportunities.
The NSTC, the centerpiece of the CHIPS for America R&D Program, is a public-private consortium for industry, customers, suppliers, educational institutions, workforce and labor organizations, entrepreneurs, government, and investors to accelerate the pace of new innovations from idea to marketplace. To that end, the Biden-Harris Administration expects to invest over $5 billion in the NSTC with a core tenet of funding R&D projects that create long-term US leadership in semiconductor technology.
While the long-term R&D strategy, is being crafted, the NSTC has identified initial R&D programs which will kick start the process of delivering impactful results through early investments in projects with a near term time horizon. At least $100 million will be available to fund the first set of external teams through competitions expected to launch in the summer of 2024. The projects will develop R&D tools and results that can be deployed into the semiconductor industry to drive advancements in critical technologies such as the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in design, and the enablement of researchers to produce results faster with lower cost, resulting in the acceleration of innovation and the time required to bring new products to market.
Join CHIPS NSTC Program Director, Jay Lewis, and Natcast Chief Executive Officer, Deirdre Hanford on April 9, 2024, for a discussion on early research, the NSTC Community of Interest, and additional updates on this historic program. Registration is required.
This is the first of a series of monthly updates on the NSTC.
WEBINAR: Creating Inclusive Opportunities for Individuals with Disabilities
In partnership with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy and The Good Jobs Initiative, CHIPS for America will host this webinar for organizations that serve, support, or otherwise work with the disability community. This will serve as a CHIPS for America program primer and will focus on CHIPS workforce development requirements and policies and strategies related to scaling the American semiconductor industry. Please join CHIPS for America policy specialists, U.S. Department of Labor experts, and disability community advocates to learn more about the CHIPS for America program. Simultaneous American Sign Language interpretation will be provided.
About CHIPS for America
CHIPS for America is part of President Biden’s economic plan to invest in America, stimulate private sector investment, create good-paying jobs, make more in the United States, and revitalize communities left behind. CHIPS for America includes the CHIPS Program Office, responsible for manufacturing incentives, and the CHIPS Research and Development (R&D) Office, responsible for R&D programs. Both offices sit within the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) at the Department of Commerce. NIST promotes U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards, and technology in ways that enhance economic security and improve our quality of life. NIST is uniquely positioned to successfully administer the CHIPS for America program because of the bureau’s strong relationships with U.S. industries, its deep understanding of the semiconductor ecosystem, and its reputation as fair and trusted. Visit https://www.chips.gov to learn more.
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