The Commerce Department has said it will take applications for grants from key suppliers to chipmakers in addition to operators of fabs.
Strong manufacturing interest
The CHIPS office already has received more than 400 statements of interest from semiconductor manufacturers keen to get a share of the federal dollars. Preliminary applications for grants and subsidies will be accepted beginning in September, with final applications starting Oct. 23, according to the department.
The world’s top chipmakers, including Intel, Micron, IBM, Samsung, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. and others, have indicated they may invest as much as $400 billion in the U.S. provided they get some support from the government.
Six teams, separately focused on national security, economic security, workforce, environmental issues, international relations and policy, will pore through the applications to decide who gets how much, Dwyer said.
As outlined in a department notice, applications will be evaluated on how well they meet national security and economic security goals in combination with commercial viability and financial strength, Dwyer said. The department’s notice says meeting national and economic security objectives would receive “the greatest weight” in evaluations, with the five other categories receiving equal weight thereafter.
