Report: Accelerating Semiconductor Research, Accelerating America

8 March 2022

1 min read

Bringing the Best Research and Development to The National Semiconductor Technology Center and The National Advanced Packaging Manufacturing Program

The 2021 National Defense Authorization Act’s call to create a National Semiconductor Technology Center (NSTC) and a National Advanced Packaging Manufacturing Program (NAPMP) recognizes the need for swift action to strengthen U.S. semiconductor leadership in the face of rising global competition.

To protect U.S. semiconductor leadership, manufacturing continually fueled by world-leading research and development is key. In this report, a broad coalition of industries, universities, consortia, national labs, and nonprofits offers a vision of a technology network, with hubs and geographically distributed centers of excellence, as the main technical driver of NSTC and NAPMP, supporting the research, development, prototyping and manufacturing transfer goals of the NSTC and NAPMP and ensuring they are met.

To reach that objective, the technology network must achieve the following:

  • Provide an innovation ecosystem for research, development and prototyping with first-class resources, scientists, facilities, and partners who can work quickly and efficiently to demonstrate and transfer breakthrough technology to manufacturing to secure a strong domestic chip supply chain for the future.
  • Create and execute on an ambitious, but practical, technical agenda focused on the transition from innovation to commercialization.
  • Include teams experienced in taking discovery from “lab-to-fab.”
  • Expand existing large piloting and prototype integration centers to leverage prior investment and hit
    the ground running on day one.
  • Upgrade the infrastructure and programs at key universities, reducing the time for tech transfer and facilitating workforce investment.
  • Facilitate start-ups with access to prototyping facilities provided by the network.

The network must be held accountable for reaching clear and measurable goals. In reaching its objective, it will accelerate the American semiconductor industry.