Midwest Microelectronics Consortium Hub awarded funding for Technology Leadership
Recently, Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks announced the award of $238 million in "Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) and Science Act" funding for the establishment of eight Microelectronics Commons (Commons) regional innovation hubs; the largest award to date under President Biden's CHIPS and Science Act.
The Midwest Microelectronics Consortium Hub (MMEC) was awarded $24.3M. The MMEC was formed through collaborative efforts of Battelle Memorial Institution and the Midwest Regional Semiconductor and Microelectronics Network; a network made up of over 30 institutions in the Midwest, Youngstown State University included.
The involvement from YSU comes from proposal development efforts led by Vamsi Borra, assistant professor of Computer Engineering and Technology, and co-lead by Frank Li, chair and professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Pedro Cortes, professor of Materials Science and Engineering, along with Battelle Institute and MMEC to form a Hub eligible for the Commons program.
Six technology areas critical to the DoD mission were selected as focus areas for the Commons. Each Hub will be advancing U.S. technology leadership in one or more of these areas:
- Secure Edge/Internet of Things (IoT) Computing
- 5G/6G
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) Hardware
- Quantum Technology
- Electromagnetic Warfare
- Commercial Leap Ahead Technologies
Borra went on to explain the goal of establishing Microelectronics Commons stating, “It’s to create a network of microelectronics infrastructure investments, facilities, companies, and manufacturers, serving as a strategic initiative with several key objectives.”
“By creating a collaborative ecosystem, the initiative seeks to accelerate the pace of microelectronics development. Furthermore, these hubs are strategically located and each focus on specific key technology areas within microelectronics," he continued. "This “Lab-to-Fab” specialization allows for concentrated efforts and expertise in critical domains, ensuring that research ideas can be efficiently translated into practical applications.”
More information on the program will be shared at the Microelectronics Commons Annual Meeting on 17-18 October 2023 in Washington DC. Learn more at microelectronicscommons.org.