The Biden Administration along with Natcast, the non-profit entity that operates the National Semiconductor Technology Centre (NSTC), chose the Arizona State University (ASU) Research Park in Tempe, Arizona to host the CHIPS for America NSTC Prototyping and National Advanced Packaging Manufacturing Program (NAPMP) Advanced Packaging Piloting Facility (PPF).
The new research facility will be used to develop and test new materials, devices, and advanced packaging solutions for semiconductors, with the site set to be operational in 2028.
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“A strong research and development ecosystem is essential to ensuring the United States remains at the forefront of semiconductor innovation," said Gina Raimondo, US Secretary of Commerce. “Arizona has long been a hub for technological progress, and this new facility will strengthen our domestic supply chain, drive advanced manufacturing breakthroughs, and secure America’s leadership in this critical industry.”
In addition to providing federal subsidies to chip manufacturers to bring production to the US, the CHIPS and Science Act provides funding to create research facilities tasked with uncovering innovations that could boost next-generation chips.
Other CHIPS Act research sites include the EUV Accelerator, housed in NY CREATES’ Albany NanoTech Complex in Albany, New York, and the CHIPS for America Design and Collaboration Facility (DCF), which will be located in Sunnyvale, California.
This latest site focuses on advanced packaging research, with its researchers set to be tasked with unearthing new ways to improve chip manufacturing.
Specifically, the PPF site will look at making it easier to produce 300mm semiconductor wafers, which are found in high-performance logic and memory devices but are notoriously expensive and complex to produce.
The new research facility will be tasked with prototyping packaging capabilities to improve next-gen wafer production easier, with the site set to feature a manufacturing-like environment that would let engineers to test novel materials and device architectures.
“The PPF will play a critical role in advancing semiconductor innovation across the country,” said Deirdre Hanford, CEO of Natcast. “This facility will be a premier destination where researchers from industry, academia, startups, and the broader semiconductor ecosystem will convene to explore, experiment, and collaborate on the next generation of semiconductor and packaging technologies that will power the industries of the future.”
$285mn granted for virtual chip testing centre
In addition to finding the PPF a home, the Department of Commerce announced that the Semiconductor Research Corporation Manufacturing Consortium Corporation (SRC) has been granted $285 million to create a research centre dedicated to seeing if digital twins can improve domestic semiconductor production.
The site, dubbed Semiconductor Manufacturing and Advanced Research with Twins USA (SMART USA), will be based in Durham, North Carolina and will be used by researchers working to develop, validate, and use digital twins across chip design, manufacturing, advanced packaging, assembly, and test processes.
The Commerce Department contended that digital twin technologies could help chipmaking engineers test and iterate on hardware in virtual environments before physically producing them.
TSMC found a design flaw in Nvidia’s Blackwell chip that pushed production back — an example that wouldn’t occur if designers were able to test new semiconductors in virtual environments.
“Digital twin technology opens the door for unparalleled opportunities for manufacturers to collaborate with researchers to develop and produce the next frontier of technological advancements in the semiconductor industry,” Secretary Raimondo said. “Thanks to this CHIPS investment, SMART USA will bolster collaboration within the semiconductor ecosystem while expanding training opportunities for the industry’s growing workforce.”
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