Huge CHIPS Act grant goes to ASU-led defense microelectronics hub
Federal officials on Tuesday awarded the Southwest Advanced Prototyping Hub with a multimillion-dollar grant to support five microelectronics projects intended to develop and advance technologies for the U.S. military.
Led by Arizona State University, the SWAP Hub will receive $29.6 million through the CHIPS Act for projects in next generation wireless and radio frequency transceiver technologies, AI computing, and radar power and secure processing systems.
The SWAP Hub is among eight regional innovation hubs established under the U.S. Department of Defense’s Microelectronics Commons to accelerate development and production of microelectronics technologies critical for security and defense.
University, federal and local government officials announced the SWAP Hub investment at ASU Research Park in Tempe, the first stop in a three-city tour highlighting federal microelectronics project awards. Federal officials are also visiting Boston and Raleigh, North Carolina.
Arizona has seen “the steady drumbeat” of investments via the CHIPS Act, including grants to support new fabs for Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Amkor Technology and Intel Corp., said Tarun Chhabra, special assistant to the president and senior director for technology and national security for the U.S. National Security Council.
“But the vision for chips has always been about more than just manufacturing, and that’s what the (Microelectronics) Commons is about,” Chhabra said. “Meeting the demand for chips is one part of the equation. The other component is, of course, making sure that the United States continues to lead in the world of microelectronics research.”
SWAP Hub investment brings key partners together
The SWAP Hub investment is part of a larger Department of Defense funding announcement Tuesday consisting of $269 million in awards for 33 new technical projects under the Microelectronics Commons initiative.
The SWAP Hub has more than 170 members, including large companies, small businesses and small businesses. It launched the first fanout wafer level packaging research and development center in North America and partnered with the Arizona Commerce Authority and NXP to develop a high power and high frequency device ecosystem, according to ASU.
The $269 million federal investment is spread across six technical areas: $57 million for quantum and secure edge computing projects; $42 million for 5G and 6G projects; $51 million for electromagnetic warfare projects; $38 million for commercial “leap ahead” projects, $42 million for AI projects and $39 million for a “cross hub enablement solution award,” according to a White House release.
Last year, the Department of Defense allocated $238 million to create the eight Microelectronics Commons hubs across the nation, including a $39.8 million grant that went to ASU to establish the SWAP Hub, which connects the Southwest to a growing network of defense and electronics partners across the country.
The eight hubs have grown their membership from 400 to 1,200 organizations to achieve lab-to-fab prototyping, according to ASU.
“That’s what the hub is all about — bringing together the expertise of uniquely qualified partners and unique capabilities and building those teams that will make a difference. The hub is ready to continue to advance this role,” Kyle Squires, dean of ASU’s Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, said. “We’re grateful for the confidence shown by our federal leadership today, and we are eager to continue being a strong contributor to the effort.”
The five SWAP Hub projects include:
Integrated RF GaN technology to support NextG, 5G and 6G wireless systems
- Team: NXP, Raytheon, National Instruments, ASU
- This project leverages disruptive innovations in radio equipment to offer dynamic adjustments through small form-factor Gallium nitride power amplifier technology.
SMART – scalable modular architecture for RF transceivers
- Team: Alphacore, ASU, Rice, Lockheed Martin, Auburn
- The project aims to advance radio frequency transceiver technology to improve national defense and commercial capabilities.
Spaceborne low-energy AI computing
- Team: ASU, Sandia, Raytheon, USC, UC Boulder, LTC Design, AFRL, Global Foundries
- The project aims to extend the power of artificial intelligence to satellites orbiting the planet by directly integrating a highly efficient, radiation hard AI chip with focal plane array image sensors used in space.
Multi-megahertz, high-density, ultra-fast RADAR power converter
- Team: ASU, Sandia, Infineon, Lockheed Martin, Thermavant
- This project will advance radar power systems in critical defense applications by developing a multi-megahertz, high-density, ultra-fast radar power converter that forms the heart of advanced radar systems.
ARC-V secure processor
- Team: Idaho Scientific, Synopsys, Global Foundries, Mercury Computer, BAE Systems
- The project will create a secure, low-power processor that allows the military to deploy advanced systems even in contested environments.