The National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) CHIPS Research and Development Office (CHIPS R&D) has announced an open competition on digital twins for semiconductor manufacturing, packaging and assembly.

The expected competition will seek to establish one manufacturing institute in the country for semiconductor manufacturing. “This Notice of Intent (NOI) is provided to allow potential applicants sufficient time to develop meaningful collaborations among industry, academic, Federal laboratory, and state/local government partners,”  NIST said.

Despite substantial existing investment in proprietary digital twin technology, the U.S. lacks a comprehensive environment for collaborative development and validation of semiconductor industry digital twins, according to NIST. “In establishing a single institute with national reach, CHIPS R&D seeks to enable the seamless integration of digital twin models into U.S. semiconductor manufacturing, advanced packaging, and assembly, enabling rapid adoption of innovations and enhancing domestic competitiveness for decades,” it added.

The institute plans to invest around US$ 200 million over a period of five years. The open competition will be officially announced by NIST during the second quarter of this year. Last year, NIST granted close to US$3 million to 15 small businesses across nine states through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program.

These funds are allocated for research, development, and commercialization projects, fostering advancements in semiconductors, drug development, and flexible electronics manufacturing.