The Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering has proposed a prototype project to close the gap between microelectronics innovation and market adoption. The prototype project- Microelectronics Commons – will enable lab-to-fab prototyping– that is, evolve microelectronics laboratory prototyping to fabrication prototyping – in domestic facilities.
“Fostering the pipeline of microelectronics talent will bolster the microelectronics economies across the U.S.” stated Dr. Shenoy, “the ecosystem that the Microelectronics Commons is going to set up is going to sustain this manufacturing base going forward.”
Currently, over 85% of microelectronics used in the United States are fabricated outside the U.S. Due to the complexity and market value of integrated microelectronic systems and the lack of adequate on-shore prototyping in which intellectual property can be protected, there is an urgent need to establish a network of domestic prototyping facilities to demonstrate, at-scale, the system-level benefits of innovations in microelectronics materials, processes, devices, and architectural designs. Demonstrating at-scale commercial viability is the missing requirement to close the gap between laboratory innovations and marketplace adoption. The Department of Defense recognizes the security vulnerabilities of off-shored microelectronics and has made it a top priority to expand our domestic microelectronics infrastructure through the Microelectronics Commons prototype.
“In the face of intense competition globally in the microelectronics landscape, a rapid transition from lab-to-fab is imperative to get ahead of the competition,” stated Dr. Dev Shenoy, Principal Director, Microelectronics, OUSD and Director of the Defense Microelectronics Cross Functional Team during the Microelectronics Commons Industry Days in Washington DC on Dec. 7 – 8. “We want to expedite the lab-to-fab prototyping as well as closely couple the R&D innovation with the manufacturing.”
Microelectronics Commons is a CHIPS and Science Act-funded national network for onshore, microelectronics hardware prototyping, lab-to-fab transition of semiconductor technologies and semiconductor workforce training. The goal of Microelectronics Commons is inaugurating a national network of regional innovation hubs distributed across the U.S. to advance microelectronics prototypes across six critical technology areas. These technology areas are Secure Edge Computing/Internet of Things (IoT), Quantum Technology, 5G/6G Technology, Electromagnetic Warfare, Artificial Intelligence Hardware, and Commercial Leap Ahead Technologies.
SOURCE: PRWeb