In an ambitious move to advance the semiconductor manufacturing industry, President Joe Biden’s administration is setting its sights on leveraging digital twins—virtual replicas that simulate and optimize the behavior of their real counterparts. This innovative approach could revolutionize how semiconductors, integral to modern technology, are produced and perfected.
The initiative, recently announced by the administration, is poised to distribute a significant sum of $285 million in funding. This financial boost aims to propel research in the realm of semiconductor digital twin development, facilitate the creation of hybrid physical-digital platforms, support industry-led demonstration projects, enhance workforce training, and spearhead the operationalization of the forthcoming CHIPS Manufacturing USA Institute.
Laurie E. Locascio, Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and National Institute of Standards and Technology Director, underscored the transformative potential of digital twins during a press briefing. She highlighted that such technology could dramatically slash the costs related to chip development and manufacturing. Moreover, it promises to foster more cooperative approaches towards semiconductor design and development, marking a significant shift from traditional methodologies.
Locascio pointed out a critical gap in global technology innovation and collaboration, noting, “Currently, no country has invested at the scale needed or successfully unified the industry to unlock the enormous potential of digital twin technology for breakthrough discoveries.”
This funding is a part of the broader CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, a legislative package worth $280 billion, of which $52.7 billion is earmarked specifically to bolster domestic semiconductor production. This act was a response to a dwindling share of global semiconductor production by the United States, which President Biden highlighted had plummeted from 40 percent to a mere figure less than 10 percent.
Another crucial aspect underscored by the administration through this act is the strategic vulnerability posed by the concentration of semiconductor manufacturing in a limited geographical area, explicitly hinting at China. Assistant to the President for Science and Technology and Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, Arati Prabhakar, echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the geopolitical and economic risks of such concentration.
To facilitate a wider understanding and encourage participation, the administration has announced an informational webinar slated for May 8. The call for applications is broad, targeting a diverse range of entities including nonprofits, universities, governments, and for-profit companies that meet the criteria of being domestic entities incorporated in the United States and having their principal place of business within the country.
This initiative represents a significant investment in the future of American technology and manufacturing, aiming not only to reclaim a leadership position in global semiconductor production but also to innovate in the process of their creation and optimization. Through the strategic use of digital twins, the Biden administration is looking to catalyze a paradigm shift in the semiconductor industry, one that could redefine the competitive landscape and set new standards for technological advancements and collaboration.
Source
