Biden Administration Announces $100 Million R&D Competition

WASHINGTON, Oct. 31, 2024 - The Biden administration announced a new funding opportunity this week aimed at supporting the semiconductor manufacturing industry.

The $100 million opening  – dubbed the CHIPS AI/AE for Rapid, Industry-Informed Sustainable Semiconductor Materials and Processes  – would support activities using artificial intelligence and autonomous experimentation to prop up the next-generation cycle in the semiconductor industry.

Autonomous experimentation involves self-contained experiments that are planned and executed by artificially intelligent systems.

“The key to protecting the United States’ long-term competitiveness hinges on our technological leadership,” Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said. “We are harnessing new cutting-edge technologies like AI/AE and creating a pipeline from lab to fab to out-run and out-innovate the rest of the world.”

The program expects individual awards to amount to $20 million to $40 million for disbursement to teams of universities and research entities with the goal of bringing more students and researchers into the semiconductor research and development ecosystem.

An application window was not specified by the White House.

The Biden Administration stressed the use of AI and AE to accelerate the semiconductor development process. 

“It is essential that the United States have enough graduates with expertise in applying this technology to the benefit of the semiconductor industry,” the White House said as it announced the notice of funding.