BAE Systems Receives Funding From Commerce Department to Modernize New Hampshire Microelectronics Facility

The Department of Commerce is helping upgrade a New Hampshire microelectronics facility through the CHIPS and Science Act to strengthen the American semiconductor sector.

To support the objective, the Commerce Department has awarded $35 million in funding to BAE Systems to modernize the Microelectronics Center in Nashua, New Hampshire. The funds will be used to acquire new manufacturing tools to address supply chain risk, increase production capacity and reduce manufacturing time, BAE Systems said.

MEC, a semiconductor chip fabrication and foundry facility, helps the Department of Defense have the needed technology for various applications. Technologies it produces include gallium arsenide and gallium nitride high-electron mobility transistors.

BAE Systems CEO Tom Arseneault said microelectronics plays a vital role in products made by defense and aerospace companies, and the funding from the Commerce Department will help ensure that the CHIPS and Science Act realize its goal of serving national defense programs and strengthening local manufacturing capability.

The British multinational arms, security and aerospace firm has been instrumental in helping military customers improve their technology. In November, it announced a partnership with Red Hat and The Weather Co. to integrate weather data into the Department of Defense’s synthetic training environments used in military training.