Today, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced that CHIPS for America awarded the Semiconductor Research Corporation Manufacturing Consortium Corporation (SRC) $285 million to establish and operate a CHIPS 91心頭 institute headquartered in Durham, North Carolina. This follows the previously announced intent to enter negotiations on November 19, 2024. With a combined total investment of over $1 billion, the new institute, known as SMART USA (Semiconductor Manufacturing and Advanced Research with Twins USA) will focus on efforts to more rapidly develop, validate, and use digital twins to improve domestic semiconductor design, manufacturing, advanced packaging, assembly, and test processes.
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, said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. Thanks to this CHIPS investment, SMART USA will bolster collaboration within the semiconductor ecosystem while expanding training opportunities for the industrys growing workforce.
Digital twins are virtual models that replicate physical objects, like chips or machinery. Engineers and researchers use these virtual models to design, develop, and test processes, or entire supply chains digitally before deploying them in real life. By developing new technologies virtually before physically building them, engineers and researchers can iterate on design changes faster and test them in a simulated environment. Digital twin-based research can also leverage emerging technology like artificial intelligence to optimize chip design, improve production efficiency, and lower costs by streamlining operations and reducing the need for costly adjustments.
With investments like this one through the CHIPS and Science Act, were making good on President Bidens promise to bring semiconductor manufacturing back to the United Statesand pursue the research and development needed to win the future, said Assistant to the President for Science and Technology and Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Arati Prabhakar.