Binghamton University Collaborates with Industry, Academic Partners on New $285M Manufacturing USA Institute

Newswise — BINGHAMTON, N.Y. -- Binghamton University is a key partner in a new federally funded institute focused on the use of digital twins to improve domestic semiconductor design and manufacturing.

The U.S. Department of Commerce and the Semiconductor Research Corporation Manufacturing Consortium Corp. (SRC) announced last week that they are negotiating for the department to provide SRC $285 million to establish and operate a Manufacturing USA Institute. With combined funding totaling $1 billion, this investment will support the launch of the first-of-its-kind CHIPS Manufacturing USA Institute.

The new institute, known as SMART USA (Semiconductor Manufacturing and Advanced Research with Twins USA), aims to address the critical challenges facing semiconductor manufacturing by leveraging cutting-edge research, fostering educational initiatives and promoting industry-academic partnerships.

“We are pleased to be part of a nationwide coalition to advance critical technologies that will make New York and the U.S. a global leader in semiconductor manufacturing,” Binghamton University President Harvey Stenger said. “Binghamton looks forward to working with SRC, our SUNY colleagues and private- and public-sector partners to accelerate digital twinning innovations in U.S. chip design and manufacturing. I want to thank Senator Schumer for his vision, as the CHIPS and Science Act allowed for the creation of and funding for this latest institute. And his advocacy on our behalf has been instrumental once again on this important win for Binghamton and New York.”

“I’m thrilled to deliver this major federal investment to establish a Manufacturing USA Institute dedicated to critical tech development for the semiconductor industry, with New York institutions like Binghamton University playing a major role,” U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer said. “I pushed hard for this funding, given that this new institute will tap the expertise of Binghamton, as well as the other SUNY Centers, Cornell University, Albany NanoTech, IBM, GlobalFoundries, Micron, and other New York institutions, bringing even more federal funding to boost upstate New York’s growing Semiconductor Superhighway. This is exactly the kind of R&D partnership I had in mind when developing the CHIPS and Science Law, and I’m proud that New York’s universities and companies are leading the charge to cement the United States as a global leader for semiconductor innovation.”

A digital twin is a virtual representation of an object or system designed to reflect a physical object. SMART USA will focus on the development, validation and application of digital twins to enhance semiconductor manufacturing processes. The institute will reduce time and cost of chips design, improve efficacy of domestic production and return chips productivity to American soil.

Binghamton University plays a key role in SUNY’s contributions to the SMART USA team, and Vice President for Research Bahgat Sammakia was on hand Nov. 19 for the institute announcement at SRC headquarters in North Carolina.

“Binghamton has a long history of partnering with electronics manufacturers to solve their most pressing research and development challenges, and we are eager to advance the use of digital twins to enable this industry’s continued success,” Sammakia said. “In addition to Senator Schumer, I want to thank Governor Hochul and Empire State Development for supporting our coalition’s application.”

Sammakia collaborated with a team of Binghamton faculty and staff, including Benson Chan, Darcy Fauci, Kanad Ghose, Michael Jacobson, Andrea Palmeri, S.B. Park, Mark Poliks and Srikanth Rangarajan, on a portion of the proposal focused on electronics packaging, digital twinning and reliability. They worked closely with Shadi Shahedipour-Sandvik, SUNY senior vice chancellor for research, innovation and economic development, and colleagues from Albany, Stony Brook and Buffalo.

The mission of SMART USA is to foster a collaborative ecosystem within the domestic semiconductor industry enabled by shared facilities; support industry-led solutions through funded research projects; accelerate technology toward commercialization through significant co-investment; and enable digital twin workforce training. SMART USA will enable a new generation of digitally skilled workers, while at the same time leveraging digital twins to reach remote, underserved, underrepresented, and inaccessible communities.

The CHIPS Manufacturing USA Institute was established through the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022. SRC laid the groundwork for the SMART USA Institute in partnership with the Founding Executive Committee, which includes industry giants Advanced Micro Devices, IBM, Intel Corp., Micron Technology and Texas Instruments, as well as Georgia Institute of Technology, Purdue University and SUNY.

“This designation as the CHIPS Manufacturing USA institute reaffirms our dedication to fostering collaboration and excellence across the semiconductor ecosystem,” said Todd Younkin, executive director of SMART USA. “At its core, the SMART USA Manufacturing Institute is about bringing people together as a cohesive team. Through this collaboration, we harness the collective strengths and expertise of our partners.”

SMART USA will join an existing network of 17 institutes designed to increase U.S. manufacturing competitiveness and promote a robust R&D infrastructure. Binghamton University is also a founding member and leader of the New York State Node of NextFlex, another Manufacturing USA Institute, which is working to create a strong U.S. industrial base for hybrid electronics manufacturing.