NORDTECH Announces $10.5M Federal Funding from U.S. Department of Defense to Expand Hub Operations and Advance Lab-to-Fab Technologies

Funding follows recent $30 million in project awards and will also support advancing semiconductor excellence through inter-facility demonstration projects and workforce development initiatives

Albany, N.Y. – The Northeast Regional Defense Technology Hub (NORDTECH), a New York State-based consortium of government labs, defense companies, academic institutions, and technology R&D and manufacturing organizations and one of eight hubs in the U.S. Microelectronics Commons program, is proud to announce that it is approved to receive an additional $10.5 million to support the expansion of hub operations through October 2025.

“NORDTECH has built a strong base of top-tier universities, community colleges, small businesses, major semiconductor manufacturers, and leading defense contractors during our first year of operation. This extension of funding for our hub operations will allow us to further create, expand, and accelerate direct pathways to domestic microelectronics prototyping while also building a pipeline of U.S.-based semiconductor talent,” said Technical Director Dr. Nicholas Fahrenkopf. “As NORDTECH expands its capacity to innovate and collaborate, we are focused on simultaneously building lasting sustainability through strong partnerships and co-investment so that we can support prototypes that will deliver important defense outcomes for years to come.”

In September 2023, NORDTECH was established through an initial $40 million award from the Department of Defense’s (DoD) Microelectronics Commons Program. The funding was one of the first major awards from the 2022 U.S. CHIPS & Science Act and was used to establish the infrastructure of the NORDTECH hub, bolster workforce training programs for the semiconductor industry, and acquire new, state-of-the-art microelectronics equipment.

NORDTECH has emerged as a pivotal force in advancing semiconductor technology, with strong expertise across quantum platforms, artificial intelligence hardware, commercial leap ahead technologies, and technologies related to the internet of things, underscored by substantial infrastructure investments and recent initiatives in workforce development.

NORDTECH’s dedication to broad engagement forms a vibrant community of members as is evident in its response to Microelectronics Commons initiatives. Responding to the February 2024 Call for Projects (CFP), NORDTECH facilitated collaboration across 35 entities, resulting in 15 comprehensive proposals. This collective effort resulted in the recently announced $30 million in project awards, representing more than 20 participants to address the DoD’s request for high-end tech solutions.

NORDTECH’s five founding members, who comprise the hub’s leadership team and governance committee, include the New York Center for Research, Economic Advancement, Technology, Engineering, and Science (NY CREATES), the University at Albany College of Nanotechnology, Science, and Engineering (CNSE), Cornell University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), and IBM.

See the Department of Defense News Release Here.

For more information about the projects, the funding, or NORDTECH, please visit: www.nordtechub.org

####################

About the Northeast Regional Defense Technology Hub (NORDTECH)

NORDTECH is a regional coalition of public and private sector experts in the Microelectronics Commons region in and around New York State, established in September 2023 as part of the first major award from the U.S. CHIPS and Science Act. NORDTECH’s five founding members who compose the leadership team and governance committee of the hub include: the New York Center for Research, Economic Advancement, Technology, Engineering, and Science (NY CREATES), the University at Albany College of Nanotechnology, Science, and Engineering (CNSE), Cornell University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), and IBM. NORDTECH’s board is advised by diverse participating member organizations, including small and medium semiconductor manufacturing companies, universities and community colleges, and major corporations that are service providers and leaders in semiconductor device design, fabrication and production. Learn more at nordtechub.org.