CHIPS sets vision, strategy for National Semiconductor Technology Center

The vision and strategy for a National Semiconductor Technology Center (NSTC), a key part of the R&D program set out in the CHIPS and Science Act, was released this week by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The paper, A Vision and Strategy for the National Semiconductor Technology Center, describes the center’s mission, core programs, and other features. While the paper refers to it as a center, it is expected to consist of a headquarters facility and an integrated network of NSTC-affiliated technical centers with locations geographically distributed to leverage existing capabilities. It will also start an investment fund that enables future innovations in early-stage companies and will create programs that strengthen and expand the semiconductor workforce. 

A release from CHIPS for America outlining the strategy notes that “the NSTC will work with academic and industry partners to create affiliated technical centers around the country, fostering a network of research and innovation that is unprecedented in scale, breadth, and focus.”

The NSTC is anticipated to provide “foundational semiconductor technologies of the future.” The center is envisioned as a long-lived entity that will balance the needs of government, the private sector, workforce entities, and educational institutions in building out these future technologies. It

NIST has also issued a solicitation of nominations for a selection committee of no more than seven members that will be responsible for selecting individuals that will help operate the NTSC. Nominations for immediate consideration must be received before 5 p.m. on May 10, 2023.