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National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) was founded in 1901 and is now part of the U.S. Department of Commerce. NIST is one of the nation's oldest physical science laboratories. Congress established the agency to remove a major challenge to U.S. industrial competitiveness at the time — a second-rate measurement infrastructure that lagged behind the capabilities of the United Kingdom, Germany and other economic rivals.

From the smart electric power grid and electronic health records to atomic clocks, advanced nanomaterials and computer chips, innumerable products and services rely in some way on technology, measurement and standards provided by the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Today, NIST measurements support the smallest of technologies to the largest and most complex of human-made creations — from nanoscale devices so tiny that tens of thousands can fit on the end of a single human hair up to earthquake-resistant skyscrapers and global communication networks.

Federal Announcements

Biden-Harris Administration Announces Preliminary Terms with Hemlock Semiconductor to Significantly Expand U.S. Production Capacity of Semiconductor-Grade Polysilicon

| Department of Commerce (DOC), Executive Office of the President, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) | Chips for America | Semiconductors, Supply Chain, Workforce

The Biden-Harris Administration announced that the U.S. Department of Commerce and Hemlock Semiconductor (HSC) have signed a non-binding preliminary memorandum of terms (PMT) to provide up to $325 million in proposed direct funding under the CHIPS and Science Act to solidify U.S. leadership in semiconductor-grade polysilicon production. The proposed funding would support the construction of a new manufacturing facility on HSC’s existing campus in Hemlock, Michigan.

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Biden-Harris Administration Announces Preliminary Terms with Wolfspeed to Solidify U.S. Technological Leadership in Silicon Carbide Manufacturing

| Department of Commerce (DOC), Executive Office of the President, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) | Chips for America | Clean Energy, Research and Development (R&D), Semiconductors, Supply Chain, Technology

The Biden-Harris Administration announced that the U.S. Department of Commerce and Wolfspeed, Inc. have signed a non-binding preliminary memorandum of terms (PMT) to provide up to $750 million in proposed direct funding under the CHIPS and Science Act. The proposed funding would support the construction of a new silicon carbide wafer manufacturing facility in Siler City, North Carolina, helping to secure a reliable domestic supply of the semiconductors.

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Biden-Harris Administration to Invest up to $100 Million to Accelerate R&D and AI Technologies for Sustainable Semiconductor Materials

| Department of Commerce (DOC), Executive Office of the President, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) | Chips for America | Research and Development (R&D), Semiconductors, Technology

The U.S. Department of Commerce issued a Notice of Intent (NOI) to announce an open competition demonstrating how AI can assist in developing new sustainable semiconductor materials and processes that meet industry needs and can be designed and adopted within five years. CHIPS for America anticipates up to $100 million in funding to award recipients that develop university-led, industry-informed, collaborations about artificial intelligence-powered autonomous experimentation (AI/AE).

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NIST Announces Award for Manufacturing Extension Center in Florida

| Department of Commerce (DOC), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) | Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) National Network, Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership | Small and Medium-sized Manufacturers

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has made a cooperative agreement award to operate a Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Center in Florida. The MEP Center will be operated by the awardee, FloridaMakes, Inc. The total anticipated funding over five years is $5,319,200.

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Biden-Harris Administration Announces First CHIPS Commercial Fabrication Facilities Award with Polar Semiconductor, Establishing Independent American Foundry

| Department of Commerce (DOC), Executive Office of the President, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) | Chips for America | Semiconductors, Supply Chain, Workforce

The U.S. Department of Commerce announced its first award under the CHIPS Incentives Program’s Funding Opportunity for Commercial Fabrication Facilities of up to $123 million in direct funding to Polar Semiconductor (Polar).

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U.S. National Science Foundation and Department of Commerce Partner to Advance Semiconductor Workforce Development

| Department of Commerce (DOC), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), National Science Foundation (NSF) | Semiconductors, Workforce

The U.S. National Science Foundation and the CHIPS for America Research and Development Office within the National Institute of Standards and Technology, a bureau of the U.S. Department of Commerce, signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly invest in a new initiative to train the future semiconductor workforce at all levels for myriad job types across industry and the nation.

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Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology Visits New Mexico MEP Client Theta Plate Inc.

| Department of Commerce (DOC), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) | Small and Medium-sized Manufacturers

Dr. Laurie Locascio, the Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and NIST Director, visited New Mexico Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) client Theta Plate Inc. in Albuquerque, New Mexico on May 30, 2024. Theta Plate, a third-generation family-owned metal-plating business started in 1976, performs military standard and decorative electroplating of metals ranging from platinum to tin. The company is active in several niche markets, including jewelry and trumpet mouthpiece

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Supply Chain Optimization and Intelligence Network Celebrates First Anniversary

| Department of Commerce (DOC), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) | Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) National Network, Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership | Supply Chain

June 1, 2024 marks the one-year anniversary of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Supply Chain Optimization and Intelligence Network (SCOIN), a two-year pilot program to kick-start supply chain efforts across the country. Authorized by the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, NIST MEP awarded a total of $20 million for SCOIN to MEP Centers in each state and Puerto Rico.

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