The Biden administration has submitted requests for $285 million in CHIPS Act funding for an institute to develop digital twins for the chip manufacturing industry. The investment aims to accelerate silicon design and development while enhancing national security. It’s part of a multibillion-dollar push to establish the U.S. as a thriving chipmaking powerhouse, reduce dependence on the global supply chain and establish technological dominance over China.
Digital twins are advanced software models of hardware (in this case, processors) that can help save time and money and increase efficiency. The virtual clones allow engineers to anticipate problems and adjust designs accordingly before manufacturing even begins. The automotive industry and Space Force (for satellite simulations) have also used the technology.
The Commerce Department says AI also plays a role. “Digital twin-based research can also leverage emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence to accelerate the development of new U.S. chip design and manufacturing concepts and significantly reduce costs through improved capacity planning, production optimization, facility modernizations and real-time process adjustments.”
The funding is part of $39 billion allocated for semiconductor research and development in the 2022 CHIPS Act. The US had already provided billions of dollars in CHIPS Act manufacturing incentives, including $6.4 billion for Samsung, $6.6 billion for TSMC, $6.1 billion for Micron and $8.5 billion for Intel. However, Bloomberg notes that such R&D funding could be the most important part of the Biden administration’s long-term plan to boost domestic silicon innovation and avoid scenarios in which supply chain shutdowns cripple parts of the U.S. economy and national security.
The government says the institute’s funding will be used for basic operations, digital twin research, establishing and supporting shared digital facilities and workforce training. The Biden administration wants to avoid scenarios such as dependence on foreign adversaries for technologies that can impact America’s national security (as the U.S. military increasingly relies on advanced technology), economic independence and supply chain control.
The Biden administration’s CHIPS program will host a meeting for potential applicants on May 16.
“This new Manufacturing USA Institute will not only help make America a leader in developing this new technology for the semiconductor industry, but will also help train the next generation of American workers and researchers to use digital twins for future advances in research and development as well as in the production of chips,” wrote Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo in a press release.