Strengthening U.S. chip-making capabilities

Five projects led by the Southwest Advanced Prototyping Hub at ASU to advance national security have been awarded nearly $30 million in federal funding.

The five projects will help strengthen the nation’s chip-making capabilities and reduce dependency on foreign sources of microelectronics. They are among 33 projects across the nation awarded a total of $269 million under the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act-funded Microelectronics Commons initiative.

The five SWAP Hub projects are:

Integrated RF GaN Technology to Support NextG, 5G & 6G Wireless Systems

Improve the performance of wireless networks as data consumption skyrockets by integrating advanced reconfigurable radio architectures with gallium nitride technology to create a unified, self-testing system.

Team: NXP, Raytheon, National Instruments and ASU

SMART — Scalable Modular Architecture for RF Transceivers

Advance radio frequency transceiver technology to improve national defense and commercial capabilities.

Team: Alphacore, ASU, Rice University, Lockheed Martin and Auburn University

Spaceborne Low-Energy AI Computing

Improve the performance of satellites through artificial intelligence, which could yield a major advantage for national defense.

Team: ASU, Sandia National Laboratories, Raytheon, the University of Southern California, the University of Colorado at Boulder, LTC Design, Air Force Research Laboratory and Global Foundries

Multi-MHz, High Density, Ultra-fast RADAR Power Converter

Advance radar power systems in critical defense applications by developing a multi-megahertz, multi-kilowatt, high-density ultra-fast radar power converter.

Team: ASU, Sandia, Infineon, Lockheed Martin and ThermAvant

ARC-V Secure Processor

Create a secure, low-power processor that allows the military to confidently deploy advanced systems, even in contested environments, that rely on powerful but vulnerable commercial electronics.

Team: Idaho Scientific, Synopsys, Global Foundries, Mercury Computer and BAE Systems

Sandia is proud to support the vital work of the SWAP Hub. This partnership will enhance the U.S. pipeline for high-reliability, secure semiconductors and create workforce development opportunities.

— Reno Sanchez, director of Microsystems Engineering, Science and Applications Center at Sandia