Dive Brief:
- The Commerce Department is offering approximately $285 million in CHIPS and Science Act funding to establish and operate a federal institute focused on the application of digital twins in semiconductor manufacturing, according to a May 6 release.
- Funding for the CHIPS Manufacturing USA Institute will used be for activities including basic and applied research, establishing and supporting shared physical and digital facilities, demonstration projects and workforce training, all related to chip digital twin development.
- On May 16, the CHIPS program will host a hybrid meeting for potential funding applicants and concept papers are due on June 20.
Dive Insight:
The digital twin-focused institute is just one of the Biden administration’s many initiatives to onshore 20% of leading-edge chip production by 2030. The government is investing a total of $11 billion in the effort, led by the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
The White House invested over $5 billion in semiconductor research and development efforts in February, including the launch of a national workforce center. Last April, the government announced plans to create a National Semiconductor Technology Center.
Digital twins have been a major trend in manufacturing as it enables simulations of manufacturing capacity, artificial intelligence-based applications and other digital assets.
Digital twin-based research can ultimately “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 press release stated.
Chip giants such as California-based Nvidia and Germany-based Siemens, have historically used the technology to improve the sustainability and efficiency of semiconductor production. Siemens uses digital twins and data analysis to develop hardware and software solutions by working with both semiconductor manufacturers and chip equipment makers.
