Purdue named lead academic institution for semiconductor consortium
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The U.S. Department of Commerce has awarded $285 million to establish a national institute centered on semiconductor manufacturing and advanced packaging, with Purdue University as a key leader.
The Semiconductor Manufacturing and Advanced Research with Twins, or SMART, USA Institute is a consortium of more than 150 partners in over 30 states.
Purdue has been named the lead academic institution for the consortium, and will receive up to $30 million of the funding award that was announced earlier this week.
The SMART USA Institute will focus on the development of what are known as digital twins for semiconductor manufacturing, advanced packaging, and assembly and test processes, Purdue said.
The university describes digital twins as virtual models that “mimic the structure, context and behavior of a physical counterpart.”
Research in this area can utilize artificial intelligence to help accelerate the design and innovation of new chip development and manufacturing concepts with the goal of reducing research and development costs.
“Purdue’s strengths both in computational modeling and fabrication capabilities at the Birck Nanotechnology Center were critical elements that contributed to the successful proposal,” Ganesh Subbarayan, Purdue’s James G. Dwyer Professor of Mechanical Engineering, said in a news release. “We will serve as the leading academic node of the SMART USA Institute to develop the digital twins and play a leadership role in training of the workforce.”
The university said the SMART USA institute is also expected to advance curricula in the digital twin field and create hands-on opportunities for training the next generation of domestic semiconductor workers.
Purdue’s involvement in the institute is the latest in a series of efforts to bolster semiconductor manufacturing in the U.S., including South Korean chip manufacturer SK Hynix Inc.’s planned $3.87 billion chip manufacturing plant at the Purdue Research Park.
The university has also inked multiple partnerships with international companies, including Belgium-based Imec for a new research and development hub in West Lafayette. Purdue is also investing $100 million in semiconductor research and learning facilities as part of its Purdue Computes initiative.
The consortium is being led by the nonprofit Semiconductor Research Corp. in Durham, North Carolina. Purdue’s funding is just for the first year of the five-year award.
“Purdue is again selected as the leading university in America in the digital foundation for national, economic and job security of our country,” Purdue President Mung Chiang said. “This crucial win will generate transformational research innovations to compound educational initiatives, such as the Semiconductor Degrees Program, and industry partnerships, such as SK hynix’s AI memory chip fab at Purdue Research Park.”