The funding is part of the $280 billion CHIPS and Science Act, which was passed in 2022
The U.S. Biden-Harris administration is seeking proposals from eligible applicants for the development, validation and use of digital twins for semiconductor manufacturing, advanced packaging, assembly and test processes. In a statement, the administration said successful applicants will participate in the establishment and operation of a CHIPS Manufacturing USA institute, and that it anticipates up to approximately $285 million in funding.
Digital twins are a digital representation of a real-world physical product, system or process, and as the administration described in its statement, they can exist in the cloud, which it said “enables collaborative design and process development” and in doing so, creates new opportunities, speeds up innovation and reduces the cost of research and development.
“Digital twin-based research can also leverage emerging technology like artificial intelligence to help accelerate the design of new U.S. chip development and manufacturing concepts and significantly reduce costs by improving capacity planning, production optimization, facility upgrades, and real-time process adjustments,” the statement continued.
Funding for the CHIPS Manufacturing USA institute is part of the $280 billion CHIPS and Science Act, which was signed into law in 2022 and includes $39 billion in subsidies for U.S. chip manufacturing, as well as 25% investment tax credits for costs of manufacturing equipment and $13 billion for semiconductor research and workforce training.
“Digital twin technology will help transform the semiconductor industry,” commented Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Director Laurie E. Locascio. “This historic investment in the CHIPS Manufacturing USA institute will help unite the semiconductor industry to unlock the enormous potential of digital twin technology for breakthrough discoveries.”
