The White House announced on Friday the selection process for the first three CHIPS and Science Act research and development (R&D) facilities. The government has already earmarked billions of dollars for semiconductor manufacturers like Intel, Samsung, and TSMC. However, part of the bill includes funding for R&D facilities, and the U.S. government is now preparing to make those awards.
The announcement was co-authored by the U.S. Department of Commerce and Natcast, the National Semiconductor Technology Center (NTSC) operator. The idea here is to help “bridge the gap between research and industry.” Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said that for the U.S. to reclaim a semiconductor leadership position, “we can’t just invest in manufacturing capacity, we also need to supercharge our research and development ecosystem.”
