Senior White House Leaders Visit Regional Microelectronics Hubs, Commemorate Awards and Milestones
This week, Department of Defense (DoD) and White House senior officials traveled on a roadshow across the nation, visiting three regional Microelectronics Commons Hub locations to announce the first round of project awards and discuss the program’s milestones. The White House prioritized these in-person visits following the DoD announcement of nearly $269 million in awards to the eight Microelectronics Commons Hubs, totaling 33 projects across six technical areas. DoD and White House representatives were joined by Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division and National Security Technology Accelerator (NSTXL) on this high-profile tour.
“Microelectronics are critical to our goals of having a more reliable microelectronics supply and to deliver next-generation capabilities for our troops,” said Dr. Dev Shenoy, Principal Director for Microelectronics at the Office of Under Secretary of Defense (OUSD). “I joined this mission because I believe in the incredible impact our work will have for American economies, American defense, and the American people.”
On September 17, Arizona State University, who leads the Southwest Advanced Prototyping (SWAP) Hub, hosted White House representatives including: Tarun Chhabra, Deputy Assistant to the President and Coordinator for Technology & National Security, Maynard Holliday, PTDO Assistant Secretary of Defense for Critical Technologies and Dr. Dev Shenoy, Principal Director for Microelectronics at the Office of Under Secretary of Defense (OUSD) as well as local Government leadership including the mayors of Tempe and Phoenix. The California Defense Ready Electronics and Microdevices (CA Dreams) Superhub and the Northwest AI Hub were also featured. Chhabra, Holliday and Shenoy highlighted the 10 awards across these Hubs, covering five of the six tech areas. See the full award breakdown on page 3.
The second stop was the Northeast Microelectronics Coalition (NEMC) hub, led by Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MassTech) in Boston. During this visit, Amos Hochstein, Senior Advisor to the President for Energy and Investment, announced awards for NEMC Hub and the Northeast Regional Defense Technology (NORDTECH) and Silicon Crossroads Microelectronics Commons (SCMC) Hubs. He noted 14 awards covering all six technical areas.
“Today’s awards highlight the innovation and expertise that exists across the Northeast when it comes to microelectronics and semiconductors, especially right here in Massachusetts,” said Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey.
On September 19, the tour rounded out with a stop at the North Carolina State University (NC State)-led Commercial Leap-Ahead for Wide-bandgap Semiconductors (CLAWS) Hub, also featuring the Midwest Microelectronics Consortium (MMEC) Hub. Dr. Arati Prabhakar, The President’s Chief Science and Technology Advisor and Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, represented the White House at this event, and highlighted nine awards across the two Hubs, covering five of the six technical areas.
“These CHIPS and Science Act investments through the Microelectronics Commons will advance innovation for components that enable the most sophisticated defense systems, strengthening our national security. Today’s awards are the next step forward in making sure that we win the future,” stated Dr. Prabhakar.
Commons funding is being disbursed among Hub members across 28 states and Washington, D.C., with the ultimate goal of establishing a regional network of prototyping facilities and a robust workforce pipeline. Microelectronics Commons is made possible through the Strategic and Spectrum Mission Advanced Resilient Systems (S2MARTS) Other Transaction Authority (OTA). To learn more about the Microelectronics Commons or to become a member, visit https://microelectronicscommons.org/.
