CHIPS Act driver

National Semiconductor Technology Center Offers $5B Fund for Semiconductor R&D Projects

The Department of Commerce has announced the formal signing of the public-private consortium agreement for the National Semiconductor Technology Center, through which more than $5 billion in semiconductor research and development investments will be channeled.

The NSTC was established under the Biden administration’s 2022 CHIPS and Science Act and is one of four R&D programs with a total of $11 billion in funding under the law also dubbed the CHIPS for America Act, the Department of Commerce said Friday.

Aside from the NSTC, the act’s R&D appropriation also covers funding for the Advanced Packing Manufacturing Program, the CHIPS Metrology Program and the CHIPS Manufacturing USA Institute.

Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said during the consortium’s signing that among the NSTC’s priorities is the establishment of a Workforce Center of Excellence to help ensure a diverse and skilled workforce across the United States. Earlier, Raimondo disclosed that more than 500 companies from 42 states have sent to the department statements of interest on potential NSTC incentives.

Arati Prabhakar, the White House Office of Science and Technology director, led government officials in roundtable discussions with the semiconductor industry after the consortium agreement’s signing to flesh out opportunities for NSTC participation.