HON Kathleen Hicks, HON Arati Prabhakar and More Address Thousands of Microelectronics Innovators at ‘Commons’ Annual Meeting

The Microelectronics Commons Annual Meeting & NSTC Symposium took place in Washington, D.C. on October 28-30, hosting 1,000 in-person and 1,100 virtual attendees. With headliners such as The Honorable Kathleen H. Hicks, Deputy Secretary of Defense, The Honorable Frank Kendall, Secretary of the Air Force, and The Honorable Arati Prabhakar, The President’s Chief Advisor for Science and Technology and Director of OSTP – government presence at the event reflected the urgency and excitement surrounding microelectronics re-onshoring efforts in the United States.

During the event, the Microelectronics Commons program, awarded under the CHIPS and Science Act in 2023, celebrated one year of achievements, including the first round of Hub project awards announced by the DoD in September.

Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen H. Hicks kicked off the Microelectronics Commons event on Tuesday the 29th, emphasizing the vital role of microelectronics in national security, stating, “Every day, from the Indo-Pacific to the North Atlantic to the Middle East and beyond — from the ocean floor to outer space to cyberspace — as American warfighters stand the watch, they depend on chips to help them defend our country, our allies and partners, and our interests.”

The Commons event also featured a presentation from Dr. Dev Shenoy, Microelectronics Commons Executive Director and Microelectronics Principal Director OUSD(R&E)/ASD(CT), and Fireside Chats with Dr. Jason Rathje, Director of the Office of Strategic Capital, as well as The Honorable Prabhakar, The Honorable Frank Kendall, and moderator The Honorable Stephen P. Welby who discussed the importance of the utilization of AI technologies in U.S. microelectronics efforts and the threats facing our national security.

“[We must rely on the] exquisite, deep knowledge of industry to make breakthroughs and move forward…. You need ways to translate those ideas into reality as quickly as possible, to demonstrate they can be [put into] things you can really build,” said Kendall, as he and Prabhakar discussed the integration of new technologies, such as the Microelectronics Commons program is doing.

Additionally, Dr. Eric K. Lin, Deputy Director, CHIPS Research and Development Program gave a keynote titled, “An Update on the CHIPS for America Research and Development Office.” In this keynote, Lin detailed ongoing initiatives and Microelectronics Commons’ impact within the program.

Each of the eight Hubs gave multiple presentations, including an overview of their awarded projects per technical area, an overview of their workforce development initiatives, and comprehensive insights and demonstrations of their operational capabilities. Further breakout sessions included a Fireside Chat with the Commons Board of Service Executives, and panels on the commercialization and transition of the technology pipeline with
representatives from organizations that develop technologies surrounding Commons, and top-down workforce development initiatives with government and interagency voices.

The Commons program places an emphasis on workforce development initiatives, and as such, the event featured five “poster sessions,” featuring thirteen college students connected with various Hubs who displayed their research for microelectronics improvements. This unique highlight complimented the workforce development theme, showcasing the next generation of skilled microelectronics workers and researchers.

Stephanie Lin, Vice President of NSTXL, Microelectronics Commons provided her comments,
highlighting the collaborative approach of Commons. “People are the most important piece to this program. At the end of the day, this is a people oriented effort and maintaining that synergy between the Hubs and everyone involved in them program is the thing that’s always at the forefront of my mind,” Lin stated.

The Commons program currently boasts 1,200+ members, representing 48 U.S. states and Washington, D.C., as well as Canada, Netherlands, Germany and Puerto Rico. The program, executed through the Strategic and Spectrum Missions Advanced Resilient Systems (S2MARTS) Other Transaction Authority (OTA) sponsored by Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division, released its second “Call for Topics” this summer, where the eight Hubs had
the chance to submit topics to the government that will inform future projects.

About NSTXL

NSTXL is focused on building a network of innovators and creators across the most sought-after emerging technology fields. As an open-source platform, our approach was designed to encourage network growth and collaboration without stifling change. We support our network by providing commercial-term contracting, open-source technology discovery, modern-day marketing outreach, a strongly interconnected network for easy teaming and cybersecurity compliance support. NSTXL manages the S2MARTS and SpEC OTAs.