Research NewsletterIssue: ORN-2023-18

CHIPS for America Outlines Vision for the National Semiconductor Technology Center

Semiconductor R&D Strategy is Part of President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda to Advance U.S. Competitiveness and Technological Leadership

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) released a paper outlining its vision and strategy for a National Semiconductor Technology Center (NSTC), a key component of the research and development program established by President Biden’s CHIPS and Science Act. Congress appropriated funds for the creation of a national center to support and extend U.S. leadership in semiconductor research, design, engineering, and advanced manufacturing and strengthen U.S. competitiveness.  

The paper, "A Vision and Strategy for the National Semiconductor Technology Center," lays out how the NSTC will accelerate America’s ability to develop the chips and technologies of the future to safeguard America’s global innovation leadership. The vision and strategy paper describes the center’s mission, core programs, and other features. In addition to creating and sponsoring research programs, the NSTC will work with academic and industry partners to create affiliated technical centers around the country, fostering a network of research and innovation that is unprecedented in scale, breadth, and focus. The NSTC will lay the groundwork for good jobs that will grow a domestic semiconductor workforce.  

“The NSTC will be an ambitious public-private consortium where government, industry, customers, suppliers, educational institutions, entrepreneurs, and investors will come together to innovate, connect, and solve problems,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “Most importantly, the NSTC will ensure that the U.S. leads the way in the next generation of semiconductor technologies which can enable major new advances in areas that will advance our economic and national security. While the manufacturing incentives of the CHIPS Act will bring semiconductor manufacturing back to the U.S., a robust R&D ecosystem led by the NSTC will keep it here.” 

The NSTC’s programs are intended for the entire ecosystem: fabless companies, research institutions, community colleges, state and local governments, national labs, foundries, integrated device manufacturers, equipment vendors, materials suppliers, labor unions, and investors. The NSTC aims to fulfill the unmet needs of the sector with member services such as access to emerging materials and process technologies, digital assets and design tools, a chiplet stockpile, and incubation support for startups. It also will offer the opportunity for participation in industry grand challenges, road mapping and standards activities, and workforce training and technical exchange programs. 

As outlined in the strategy paper, the NSTC has three high-level goals:  

1. Extend America’s leadership in semiconductor technology. Designing, prototyping, and piloting the latest semiconductor technology in America will provide the foundation for future applications and industries and strengthen the domestic semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem. 

1. Reduce the time and cost of moving from design idea to commercialization. The NSTC will leverage shared facilities and expertise for designing, prototyping, manufacturing, packaging, and scaling of semiconductors and related products that provide innovators in the U.S. with critical capabilities to advance economic and national security.  

1. Build and sustain a semiconductor workforce development ecosystem. The NSTC will serve as a coordinating body and center of excellence to scale the technical workforce, including scientists, engineers, and technicians. The NSTC workforce programs will support expanding recruiting, training, and retraining for the semiconductor ecosystem, including reaching groups that are traditionally under-represented in the industry. 

The full press release: CHIPS for America Outlines Vision for the National Semiconductor Technology Center | NIST

NSF: Infrastructure Capacity for Biological Research (Capacity); Infrastructure Innovation for Biological Research (Innovation); Catalyzing Institutional Change to Support Greater Equity, Inclusion, and Access in STEM Academic Careers and Advanced Degree Attainment

NIH: BRAIN Initiative: Targeted BRAIN Circuits Planning Projects – TargetedBCPP (R34); Small Research Grant Program for the Next Generation of Researchers in AD/ADRD Research (R03); NIH Blueprint for Neuroscience Research: Tools and Technologies to Explore Nervous System Biomolecular Condensates (R21); Small Business Transition Grant For Early Career Scientists (R42)

Department of Defense/US Army/DARPA/ONR: DOD, Parkinson's Investigator-Initiated Research Award; DOD Peer Reviewed Orthopaedic, Applied Research Award; ONR Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematic (STEM) Program; FY24 Young Investigator Program

Department of Energy: Small Innovative Projects in Solar: Concentrating Solar Power and Photovoltaic (SIPS: CSP & PV); DOE Traineeship in Accelerator Science & Technology

NASA: ROSES 2023: B.5 Living with a Star Science; ROSES 2023: F.22 Research Initiation Awards

Lawmakers Intro 2 Bills to Strengthen DOE Research Partnerships: House Science Committee lawmakers introduced two bills on Thursday to bolster the Department of Energy’s existing research partnerships with NASA and the National Science Foundation to better address critical science and technology challenges. The legislation would  codify collaboration between the agencies and enable them to better combine resources, according to a press release.  As global competition increases and new opportunities for governmentwide collaboration and coordination develop, it is important to strengthen these interagency research partnerships for the future, the press release noted. The DOE and NASA Interagency Research Coordination Act, introduced by Energy subcommittee Chairman Brandon Williams, R-N.Y., and Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee Ranking Member Eric Sorensen, D-Ill., would improve coordination between the two agencies, who have a history of collaborating on fundamental and early-stage research, especially on nuclear propulsion and power for spacecrafts. More information is posted on the NextGov website.

__________________

NIST Releases Draft Post-Quantum Encryption Document: The latest step in post-quantum cryptography guidance is helping organizations identify where current public-key algorithms will need to be replaced, as the National Institute of Standards and Technology continues its push to fortify U.S. digital networks ahead of the maturity of quantum computing. A new draft document previews—and solicits public commentary on—NIST’s current post-quantum cryptography guidance. Current goals outlined in the working draft include helping entities locate where and how public key algorithms are utilized in encryption schemes, developing a strategy to migrate these algorithms to quantum-resilient substitutes and performing interoperability and performance testing. The new guidance follows NIST’s ongoing effort to finalize its quantum-resistant algorithms in 2024 after identifying four in 2022. The agency then announced partnerships with 12 private sector companies to help develop quantum-resilient algorithms and implement them nationwide, including Amazon Web Services and Microsoft.  Both of these efforts follow President Joe Biden’s National Security Memorandum leveraging federal resources to help all U.S. digital systems migrate to quantum-resilient cybersecurity standards by 2035.

__________________

Bipartisan Legislation Seeks to Develop a ‘Quantum Sandbox’: Bipartisan legislation aims to further allocate federal resources to developing quantum information technologies within the U.S. Introduced by Rep. Jay Obernolte, R-Calif., the Quantum Sandbox for Near-Term Applications Act prioritizes public-private sector collaboration to further innovate quantum technologies and systems. It specifically asks that the secretary of the Department of Commerce and director of its subagency, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, set up a “quantum sandbox” program focused on fostering commercial tech development. More information is posted on the NextGov website.

Question:       How can I add another investigator or my research ambassador to my proposal in order to help on budget preparation and edit proposal details?

Answer:         Select the “Permissions” link from the left hand side of the main proposal screen in any proposal development document. From the Permissions screen you will be able to search for the person you wish to add and grant them a specific level of permission (aggregator, budget creator, viewer). After you select the appropriate person, click “Add” and they will be added to your proposal.

More FAQs on Streamlyne: Please visit https://research.njit.edu/streamlyne