Arizona State University to Build R&D Lab With DOD Funding

Arizona State University will build a microelectronics development center called Southwest Advanced Prototyping Hub in Scottsdale, with a $39.8 million award from the Department of Defense. 

SWAP is one of the eight regional innovation hubs that the DOD has selected for a total of $238 million funding under the CHIPS and Science Act. 

According to ASU President Michael Crow, SWAP is Arizona’s first major national security-focused research and development laboratory,  Electronic Products & Technology reported.

The technology areas that SWAP and the other regional hubs will focus on include internet of things computing, artificial intelligence hardware and electromagnetic warfare.

SWAP is composed of 27 hub members, led by the Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of ASU.

The DOD said more than 360 organizations from over 30 states will participate in the CHIPS hubs program. According to federal officials, the DOD funding for the eight hubs is the largest so far under the CHIPS Act.

The White House has identified 31 technology hubs in rural and urban areas across the United States for funding under the CHIPS Act. The Commerce Department’s Economic Development Administration said the designated hubs are eligible to apply for grants of up to $70 million.