WASHINGTON, D.C.— Arizona State University’s Southwest Advanced Prototyping (SWAP) Hub will receive nearly $40 million under the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act, Rep. Greg Stanton announced today–the first major award under the landmark law.
“Arizona is at the forefront of semiconductor design and production, driven by world-class research institutions like ASU. This first round of funding under our CHIPS Act sends the message that we’re poised better than anywhere else to lead the resurgence of American advanced manufacturing,” said Stanton.
“This is the first major national security-oriented research and development laboratory ever built in the state of Arizona, and Arizona State University is extremely honored to play a key role in making this happen,” said ASU President Michael Crow. “There is important work ahead, and this opportunity would not exist without the leadership of local and state officials in Arizona and the hard work done by Arizona’s congressional delegation. The bipartisan Arizona effort that defined the passage of the CHIPS and Science Act has led to this success, as well. On behalf of the partners involved in the Southwest Advanced Prototyping Hub, we extend our gratitude, and we are ready to get to work.”
The SWAP Hub, spearheaded by ASU’s Ira Fulton School of Engineering, engages more than 60 leading corporate, start-up, academic, and national lab partners from the semiconductor and defense sectors in Arizona and throughout the southwest. It’s one of eight Microelectronics Commons nationwide selected for funding by the Department of Defense.
With $2 billion in funding for Fiscal Years 2023 through 2027 under the CHIPS Act, the Microelectronics Commons program aims to leverage these Hubs to accelerate domestic hardware prototyping and “lab-to-fab” transition of semiconductor technologies. This will help mitigate supply chain risks and ultimately expedite access to the most cutting-edge microchips for our troops.
The SWAP Hub will focus on developing 5G/6G technology, artificial intelligence hardware, and commercial leap-ahead technologies, setting the stage for much larger microelectronics prototyping projects – all critical to our national defense.
Each hub is charged with developing the physical, digital, and human infrastructure needed to support future success in microelectronics research and development. This includes building education pipelines and retraining initiatives to ensure the United States has the talent pool needed to sustain these investments. Hubs are expected to become self-sufficient by the end of their initial five-year awards. More information on the Commons is available HERE.