CHIPS Act to fund $285 million for semiconductor digital twins

Digital twins are virtual representations of physical chips that mimic how the real version will function. It is meant to be a faster way to develop, test, and revise chips without having to make physical versions of them. It’s much easier to simulate a chip than spin out silicon and helps researchers test out new processors before putting them into production.

“Digital twin technology can help to spark innovation in research, development, and manufacturing of semiconductors across the country — but only if we invest in America’s understanding and ability of this new technology,” Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said in a statement. “This new Manufacturing USA institute will not only help to make America a leader in developing this new technology for the semiconductor industry, it will also help train the next generation of American workers and researchers to use digital twins for future advances in R&D and production of chips.”

Congress passed the CHIPS Act in 2022, and President Biden signed it into law in an effort to boost semiconductor manufacturing in the United States, which has a very meager share of semiconductor manufacturing. Much of semiconductor manufacturing is in Taiwan or South Korea.