UC Santa Barbara has joined the ranks of a select group of universities and organizations, becoming a member of the California Defense Ready Electronic and Microdevices Superhub (California DREAMS). This initiative is one of eight Microelectronics Commons innovation hubs launched by the Department of Defense (DoD) to accelerate the growth and innovation in the field of microelectronics. The DoD has dedicated an initial funding of $238 million to stimulate the discovery, innovation, and fabrication of domestic microelectronic technology, such as circuits and chips.
The initiative is part of the “Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) and Science Act,” a bipartisan federal bill passed in 2022. The bill pledges about $250 billion for semiconductor research and development, boosting semiconductor manufacturing in the United States, and educating and training the workforce that will drive the industry forward.
Umesh Mishra, dean of the UCSB College of Engineering, stated, “We are extremely proud to join with other leading research universities and industry partners in Southern California as part of this united effort. Our involvement is a testament to the university’s strong reputation in the semiconductor industry, which was built upon decades of innovation and cutting-edge microelectronics developed on our campus. We look forward to contributing our expertise to the hub.”
The California DREAMS hub will be granted $26.9 million in its first year. The funds will be used to create a Microelectronics Commons, a coalition of research and industry organizations aimed at accelerating the development and manufacturing of microelectronics in the United States. The hub is led by the University of Southern California and includes other prestigious institutions such as UCLA, UC San Diego, UC Riverside, UC Irvine, Caltech, Pasadena City College, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical University, Morgan State University, and several industry partners.
Jonathan Klamkin, Ph.D., a professor of electrical and computer engineering and director of the UCSB Nanofabrication Facility, expressed enthusiasm about the initiative and the opportunity to contribute to the hub.
In addition to California, regional innovation hubs have been established in other states, including New York, Massachusetts, Arizona, North Carolina, Ohio, and Indiana. More than 360 organizations from over 30 states will participate in the national network of hubs, all working towards a shared goal of expanding the nation’s global leadership in microelectronics.
Six technology areas have been identified as critical to the DoD mission and will be the focus areas for the commons. These include secure edge/Internet of Things (IoT) computing, 5G/6G, artificial intelligence hardware, quantum technology, electromagnetic warfare, and commercial leap-ahead technologies.
The DoD received more than 80 submissions representing 600 organizations from prospective team members. Additional funding will be available to support collaborative research projects proposed by hub and non-hub members.
Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks stated, “The Microelectronics Commons is focused on bridging and accelerating the lab-to-fab transition, that infamous valley of death between R&D and production. President Biden’s CHIPS Act will supercharge America’s ability to prototype, manufacture and produce microelectronics at scale. CHIPS and Science made clear to America — and the world — that the U.S. government is committed to ensuring that our industrial and scientific powerhouses can deliver what we need to secure our future in this era of strategic competition.”
The Pentagon plans to spend about $2 billion over the next five years on this initiative. This move marks a significant step forward for electronics, computers, programming languages, and coding in the United States, promising a brighter future for the semiconductor industry.