U.S. Department of Energy Announces Involvement in $285 Million Award for New CHIPS for America Semiconductor Manufacturing Institute

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced that ten of its National Laboratories are expected to participate in the CHIPS Manufacturing USA institute for Digital Twins. Recently, the Department of Commerce announced it was entering negotiations with the Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC) to establish and operate the new Semiconductor Manufacturing and Advanced Research with Twins USA (SMART USA) Institute. 

SMART USA is a new manufacturing institute that will revolutionize domestic semiconductor production through advanced digital twin technology. Digital twins, or virtual copies, are virtual representations of real-world systems that are used to improve domestic semiconductor design, manufacturing, advanced packaging, assembly, and test processes. SMART USA will join an existing network of seventeen institutes designed to increase U.S. manufacturing competitiveness and promote a robust research and development infrastructure. This announcement highlights the convergence of several important pillars of critical and emerging technology for DOE: artificial intelligence, microelectronics, and digital twins. 

“The Department of Energy and our National Labs have been at the forefront of artificial intelligence research and we’re expanding that reach to advance domestic manufacturing capacity and national security,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy, Jennifer M. Granholm. “The SMART USA Institute supports the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts to promote collaboration across the government and broader scientific community to speed up the development and adoption of advanced semiconductor technologies, shorten the time and cost of chip production, and provide training opportunities for the next generation of semiconductor workers.”

DOE has a long history of leading innovation at the cutting edge of microelectronics and semiconductor research. Work through DOE’s Exascale Computing Program led to the development of critical components of the GPU chips now essential for advanced simulations and AI. 

SMART USA will leverage the unmatched digital twin, or virtual copy, AI, and computational research capabilities of DOE’s national laboratory complex towards achieving the CHIPS for America goals. SMART USA’s planned collaborators includes ten of DOE's national laboratories, which are proposed to provide integral research support and expertise to  SMART USA (Argonne National Laboratory, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, Idaho National Laboratory, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Oak Ridge  National Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory). Idaho National Laboratory (INL) is proposed to play a key role, including providing SMART USA’s Chief Digital Officer.

In addition to the national laboratories, SMART USA’s planned members span more than 30 states, with more than 150 expected partner entities representing industry, academia, and the full spectrum of supply chain design and manufacturing. This collaboration with industry and university partners will lead the development of the world’s first digital twin backbone for semiconductors. Digital twins refer to living models connecting virtual and real-life assets. The backbone allows combined digital twins to operate together using two-way communication protocols. This technology has the promise to reduce barriers to entry for new digital twin technologies, transforming chips performance in America. SMART USA plans to have a significant impact on the semiconductor workforce – with plans to train up to 100,000 workers and students in digital twins.