![]() Implications for operators and IDMsįor foundry operators and IDMs, this R&D investment provides a chance to leverage existing dual-use funding to scale capacity and make themselves the logical choice to produce chip volumes for dual-use and, potentially, new portfolios of custom devices as technology transitions into production. ![]() Nearly all dual-use funding will be net new in 2023, reflecting the need to close a domestic gap in next-generation technology. Another funding objective is to set up an accessible process design kit (PDK) for both public and commercial developers. With $380 million devoted to creating an onshore ecosystem of dual-use public–private partnerships, this area is budgeted to grow at the fastest rate of all applications. These will be primarily focused on integrating traditional silicon logic with novel RF, photonics, or compound semiconductors-that is, three-dimensional heterogeneous integration (3DHI). This funding is designed to foster a viable domestic alternative to existing packaging technologies and to support new solutions. The DOD has allocated about $560 million to custom and dual-use packaging and integration technology. Emerging funding for next-generation ultra-wide-bandgap (UWBG) materials to power next-generation communications, sensors, and nonkinetic effects remains comparatively modest. Slightly lower levels of funding for custom radio frequency (RF) R&D reflect the maturity of gallium nitride (GaN) technology. It will also help to ensure that the DOD can access facilities compliant with the international traffic in arms regulations (ITAR), including activities involving accredited defense microelectronics (DMEA) application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC). More than $450 million of the funding is dedicated to net-new devices, such as Programmable Logic for Applications in Defense (PLAID), and to process and transistor designs, like ferroelectric computing. These will address domestic technology gaps-for example, the one in radiation-hardened by design-that exist because private foundries and integrated device manufacturers lack the incentives or scale to develop solutions independently. More than $900 million in funding will be divided among spending categories for defense-specific requirements that commercial offerings do not cover. ![]() This would be in addition to the funding provided by other agencies to build infrastructure. ![]() Passage of the CHIPS and Science Act could provide additional funds, drawing from the $2 billion newly appropriated for the DOD up to 2027.įor commercial players, the new funding may create incentives for the creation, expansion, or modernization of domestic microelectronics infrastructure. These partnerships will be formed primarily through the Trusted Foundry Program, which will receive approximately $330 million in additional appropriations for 2023 through new initiatives such as RAMP-C. The goal is to ensure that the DOD can securely access state-of-the-art commercial microelectronics through partnerships with domestic commercial foundries. The dual-use appropriations-about $1.1 billion in 2023-include about $670 million for trusted microelectronics. Within the above categories, companies could consider three key areas for investment. A key dual-use focus area will be the creation of infrastructure for packaging and integration ecosystems, which will help the DOD in developing the capabilities needed to integrate both custom and dual-use electronics domestically. There will be sustained investment in research and development for new custom and assured devices (such as logic and memory) for defense-specific operating environments. While funding for trusted microelectronics is still high, it is projected to fall over time. Funding for this maturing use case is designed to ensure that the DOD can access secure, cutting-edge dual-use microelectronics infrastructure at commercial scale. Public information indicates that there will be large continuing DOD investments in three areas (Exhibit 2): For instance, manufacturers and designers might position themselves as key partners to support the DOD’s infrastructure priorities. RAMP-C and many other programs have already been fully or partially awarded, so companies will best be served by assessing the DOD’s priorities beyond 2023. In parallel, stable investment levels in the development of new custom microelectronics reflect the ongoing imperative to support the DOD’s unique operational requirements and capabilities. These investments are led by a boost of about $330 million for the Trusted Foundry Program (for example, Rapid Assured Microelectronics Prototypes-Commercial, or RAMP-C) and a $380 million investment in dual-use integration and packaging technology. Since the DOD seeks to expand its use of dual-use technology, a significant proportion of the new funding is assigned to this end.
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