The Biden-Harris Administration announced plans to invest up to $100 million to advance research and development in artificial intelligence (AI) technologies for sustainable semiconductor materials. This initiative, led by the U.S. Department of Commerce, aims to accelerate the development of new semiconductor materials and processes that are environmentally friendly and can be adopted within five years.

CHIPS for America will provide funding to recipients who develop university-led, industry-informed collaborations focused on AI-powered autonomous experimentation relevant to sustainable semiconductor manufacturing. The Notice of Intent (NOI) outlines the open competition and is available online.

"Right now, new semiconductor materials often take years to be production-ready and are incredibly resource-intensive. If we’re going to quickly build up America’s semiconductor manufacturing base, in a way that’s sustainable over the long term in the face of increasing threats from the climate crisis, we need to leverage AI to help develop sustainable material processes quickly," said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. "With this new program, the Biden-Harris Administration will harness the vast capabilities of AI to unleash the full potential of our workers and innovators, while building a more secure and enduring domestic semiconductor industry."

Arati Prabhakar, Assistant to the President for Science and Technology and Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, added: "President Biden says our nation can be defined in a single word: Possibilities. Using AI to accelerate the extensive, intricate work of developing sustainable materials for this incredibly complicated product is a great example of American ingenuity. This is how CHIPS research and development will help manufacturers continue to succeed and thrive here at home."

AI/AE has emerged as a promising approach for accelerating materials research by combining automated synthesis tools with an AI planner that determines subsequent experimental steps. This method allows for faster design of new materials and acquisition of data across multiple locations.

Laurie E. Locascio, Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Director stated: "We have a unique opportunity to make the United States a world leader in efficient, safe, high-volume, and competitive semiconductor manufacturing. This CHIPS for America funding opportunity will help bring about sustainable manufacturing processes and materials to meet increasing demands for sustainability and safe working environments in perhaps as few as five years."

This funding opportunity is expected later this year and aims not only at sustainability but also at improving microelectronics metrics such as power, performance, area, and cost. It also seeks greater involvement from universities including emerging research institutions.

More details about CHIPS for America's environmental initiatives can be found online.