Synopsys welcomes US moves on digital twin, chip R&D
The focus for the US Chips Act is turning to research and development as it enters its second year with digital twins and chiplets coming to the fore.
“Today marks the second anniversary of the United States’ landmark CHIPS and Science Act,” said Dustin Todd, Vice President, Government Affairs at Synopsys. “The next chapter of the CHIPS Act is underway to allocate a substantial $13 billion in CHIPS research and development (R&D) funds and will determine the future of the US as an innovation hub and leader in the global semiconductor industry.”
US looks to $200m CHIPS digital twin manufacturing institute
“As progress on manufacturing projects continues, we must also fortify this foundation with the essential research and development needed to fill fabs. R&D is the lifeblood of the semiconductor industry, and investments in this area will deliver step-function gains that benefit the entire ecosystem to overcome unprecedented design and manufacturing complexity, as well as foster the next generation of innovators,” said Synopsys CEO Sassine Ghazi.
The R&D funding, which has been oversubscribed, is coming from different parts of the US government, such as the Department of Defense and the Microelectronic Commons, as well as the Department of Commerce and NATCAST, as they establish the National Semiconductor Technology Centre (NSTC) alongside a five year microelectronics strategy.
“We know through our work designing for PCIe, UCIe, ISO, and many other standards that industry interoperability is critical to mitigate design and manufacturing complexity. The Chips Metrology Program will support alignment research and projects to continue unincumbered innovation at scale,” said Todd.
The promise of modular, chiplet-based designs to enable trillion-transistor systems is on our doorstep. Synopsys has developed its 3DIC Compiler and 3DSO.ai software which are potential tools for the CHIPS Manufacturing USA Institute especially exciting.
“We applaud the establishment of the CHIPS Digital Twin Manufacturing USA Institute as part of the CHIPS National Advanced Packaging Manufacturing Program (NAPMP) to prioritize advancements in this area that will benefit chipmakers as well as systems companies,” he said.
Many CHIPS Act R&D initiatives will need easy access to advanced design tools. The California Defense Ready Electronics and Microdevices Superhub (DREAMS) coalition is the first hub to build out its design enablement for the Department of Defense (DoD) Microelectronics (ME) Commons. The DREAMs team are using Synopsys cloud-based EDA technologies to accelerate their ramp-up and progress prototyping RF technologies and processes for 5G/6G and other projects. Synopsys is also waiting details on a new design enablement gateway to be established by NATCAST.
Over the two years, dozens of companies have committed to nearly $400 billion in total semiconductor investments across the US with preliminary agreements signed with 15 companies across 15 states to provide over $30 billion in direct funding out of the $39bn available and roughly $25 billion in loans for semiconductor manufacturing projects. As a result, the US says it is on track to produce nearly 30% of the global supply of leading-edge chips by 2032. The Department of Commerce says it is on track to allocate all remaining funds with CHIPS grantees by the end of 2024.
As a result the US will host five of the world’s leading-edge logic, memory, and advanced packaging providers, while no other economy has more than two. Collectively, these fabs will enable the United States to produce nearly 30% of the global supply of leading-edge chips by 2032. This is supported by multiple high-volume advanced packaging facilities, expanded production of current and mature-node semiconductors, and critical supply chain components, all by the end of the decade to support critical industries from automobiles and medical devices to artificial intelligence and aerospace.
The Department of the Treasury continues to work on a final rule on the Advanced Manufacturing Investment Credit, which provides a 25% investment tax credit for companies engaged in semiconductor manufacturing and producing semiconductor manufacturing equipment.
The Department of Commerce expects to invest hundreds of millions of dollars into the National Semiconductor Technology Center’s (NSTC) workforce efforts, including the Workforce Center of Excellence which will collaborate with industry, academia, labor unions, the Departments of Labor and Education, the National Science Foundation, and local government partners to address end-to-end workforce training needs from access to adoption.
The National Science Foundation (NSF) launched its Future of Semiconductors (FuSe) initiative, a $45.6 million investment to conduct frontier research and develop the future microelectronics workforce. The NSF also announced its inaugural Regional Innovation Engines, 10 locations receiving a $150 million investment with the potential for up to $2 billion in funding over the next decade.
The Department of Commerce has announced $504 million for 12 Tech Hubs to give regions across the nation the resources and opportunities needed to lead in the economies of the future, such as semiconductors, clean energy, biotechnology, AI, quantum computing, and more.
The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program will announce nearly $54 million in funding that will help small businesses explore innovative ideas and the commercial microelectronics marketplace.
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