Biden administration awards $285M for new CHIPS manufacturing institute in Durham

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- The U.S. Department of Commerce announced that CHIPS for America awarded the Semiconductor Research Corporation Manufacturing Consortium Corporation (SRC) $285 million to establish and operate a CHIPS Manufacturing USA institute headquartered in Durham

With a combined investment of more than $1 billion, the new institute, known as SMART USA (Semiconductor Manufacturing and Advanced Research with Twins USA) will "focus on efforts to more rapidly develop, validate, and use digital twins to improve domestic semiconductor design, manufacturing, advanced packaging, assembly, and test processes," according to a release.

"Digital twin technology opens the door for unparalleled opportunities for manufacturers to collaborate with researchers to develop and produce the next frontier of technological advancements in the semiconductor industry," said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. "Thanks to this CHIPS investment, SMART USA will bolster collaboration within the semiconductor ecosystem while expanding training opportunities for the industry's growing workforce."

Digital twins are virtual models replicating physical objects, like chips or machinery. Engineers and researchers can use these virtual models to design, develop, and test processes, or entire supply chains digitally before deploying them in real life. This way, engineers and researchers can iterate on design changes faster and test them in a simulated environment.

"With investments like this one through the CHIPS and Science Act, we're making good on President Biden's promise to bring semiconductor manufacturing back to the United States-and pursue the research and development needed to win the future," said Assistant to the President for Science and Technology and Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Arati Prabhakar.