Following a week in which the Sun Devil football team’s tireless efforts at the Peach Bowl captured national attention, it was a major national victory for ASU to open 2025, as a top research university. That was Arizona State’s ability.
The U.S. Department of Commerce and NatCast, operator of the National Semiconductor Technology Center (NSTC), today announced this selection as a statewide victory and an important step forward in America’s efforts to regain its position as a global leader in digital technology. announced. It is co-located with the NSTC Prototyping and NAPMP Advanced Packaging Pilot facilities in Arizona.
It is the third of CHIPS for America’s three research and development flagship facilities and the facility with the largest financial investment. Final terms are currently being negotiated and are expected to be announced soon.
Located within the ASU Research Park in Tempe and adjacent to the university’s Macrotechnology Factory building, the new facility will combine semiconductor research with front-end manufacturing and packaging capability prototyping, providing advanced capabilities within the U.S. semiconductor ecosystem. Meet your unique needs for packaging research and development.
The facility is part of the CHIPS for America initiative, which aims to strengthen the U.S. semiconductor supply chain and accelerate cutting-edge research and development, and is expected to be operational as early as the fourth quarter of 2028. , is expected to create hundreds of new jobs and billions of jobs. investment amount.
ASU President Michael Crow put the state’s victory in context, saying, “This is the largest of the three CHIPS research and development flagships that have been launched, and together they are the largest since the Manhattan Project. “It means investing in national laboratories.”
“The CHIPS R&D project will create a national laboratory that will be the final piece of the semiconductor supply chain that provides the nation with research and development, manufacturing and workforce development all right here in Arizona,” Crow said. “We can have all three of those things in the same place to help the country. Arizona becomes a national hub, and ASU becomes the center of that hub.”
Over the past two presidential administrations, and with bipartisan support from Congress, U.S. leadership has committed to returning not only research and development but also manufacturing dominance in digital electronics to the United States, where these technologies were invented and started. Made a strategic decision.
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Crowe said ASU is proud to host this innovative initiative that will “take our state and nation to a new level in digital technology advancement.”
“This effort is critical to America’s economic stability, defense security, and begins by creating a new and expanded national hub for advanced training, technology development, luminescence research, advanced manufacturing, and advanced systems integration.” said Crowe. “Right now, all of this is concentrated in Arizona.”
“ASU is poised for this opportunity and is working with many partners in Arizona and other We share this victory with our leaders.” This new national laboratory will play an important role for the nation, and ASU is well-equipped to contribute to and enhance the long-term success of this important national asset. ”
ASU is a recognized leader in semiconductor research and workforce development with a research portfolio of $992 million in 2024, and will play a critical role in the success of the new facility. The university’s Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering is the nation’s largest engineering school with more than 33,000 students and 600 faculty members, and supports this facility through core research facilities and state-of-the-art laboratories. It is planned.
In recent years, under Mr. Morton’s leadership and the efforts of ASU’s Knowledge Enterprise, ASU has emerged as a global research leader with a special emphasis on interdisciplinary research and development. The country’s strategic focus on rebuilding the semiconductor industry end-to-end is a large-scale effort that brings together diverse engineering and scientific expertise. ASU is the nation’s premier institution of its kind, designed and uniquely qualified to lead this mission.
The university also gave Natcast immediate access to ASU’s cutting-edge resources, including MacroTechnology Works, a 250,000-square-foot facility with a 49,000-square-foot clean room and specialized tools for research and development, prototyping, and semiconductor manufacturing. We plan to provide the following. The building’s industry-scale features include ASU’s $270 million research collaboration with Applied Materials supported by the Arizona Department of Commerce, as well as the university’s NanoFab and Applied Materials facilities, which are equipped with tools for prototyping new technologies. Includes advanced electronics and photonics laboratories.
ASU’s involvement extends far beyond its research capabilities. The University will serve as a partner in the construction, launch, and ongoing operations of Natcast and NAPMP. ASU’s commitment to the facility’s success includes new investments ranging from faculty hires to new learning technologies for semiconductor training and education.
CHIPS and the Science Act’s focus on rebuilding U.S. semiconductor production capacity is often described as a national collaborative effort that brings together a variety of partners. ASU’s Research Park is an ideal home for macrotechnology works and facilities co-located with innovative industry partners, attracting companies, agencies, scientists, and other partners to join Arizona and ASU. We welcome researchers.
It is already a magnet for partners such as Deca Technologies, a world leader in advanced packaging. Deca CEO Tim Olson says it’s a valid model.
“This once-in-a-generation investment will boost the entire semiconductor industry with strong capabilities to further develop and scale new technologies,” Olson said. “Deca and ASU have already established a broad collaboration focused on advanced packaging, and with our investment in a new pilot facility in Arizona, we are once again gaining an edge in the competitive global semiconductor industry.” There is no doubt that there will be an influx of private sector investment, cooperation, new partnerships and exciting new ideas that will accelerate America’s efforts to get back on track.”
Morton said the launch of this new national laboratory is a vision that ASU has been pursuing for several years, positioning Arizona to serve the nation while developing assets that lead to a strong economy and the state’s self-interest in the economy. He said he would do so. The semiconductor industry offers high-paying jobs.
“This strategic collaboration is an important step toward ensuring that the United States remains a world leader in semiconductor research, development, manufacturing, and workforce development,” Morton said. “We are confident that ASU’s expertise and resources, combined with Natcast and NAPMP’s capabilities, will create a powerful ecosystem to address the most pressing challenges in semiconductor technology now and in the years to come. Masu.
“To say I’m excited to get started is an understatement.”
what others are saying
“Purdue University President and Roscoe H. George Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Mun Chan, said: “On behalf of Purdue University, I am pleased to express our strong support for a new NSTC/NAPMP research and development facility that will further fuel America’s resurgence in semiconductor manufacturing across the country. Success in science law requires a national approach, with Purdue serving as a workforce research center for a new semiconductor industry ecosystem that is rapidly emerging in the silicon heartland, along with major companies such as SK Hynix. , ASU We look forward to building on our collaboration with our colleagues on this special proposal and making it a success,” said University of Central Florida President Alexander N. Cartwright: “Arizona State University. and the University of Central Florida have long been leaders in innovation and collaboration to solve the world’s toughest problems. UCF is inventing the future of semiconductors and developing the next generation of talent right here in the United States. ASU, U.S. Department of Commerce, and Natcast We are pleased to support UCF’s efforts in advanced semiconductor manufacturing, supported by state investment and federal funding from the U.S. Department of Commerce and the National Science Foundation. This is the approach we share with ASU as we work together to achieve great things: UC President Michael V. Drake: CHIPS for America complements CHIPS for America. We applaud Arizona for choosing Arizona as the location for the America Prototyping and Packaging Center,” a design and collaboration facility located in Sunnyvale, California, previously announced in November. In partnership with Arizona State University, the University of California System is ready to tackle the design, prototyping, and packaging of next-generation semiconductors while training engineers to maintain U.S. semiconductor leadership in the 21st century and beyond. We also do ” Kelly: “This groundbreaking effort will allow researchers and startups to test cutting-edge prototype microchips right here in the United States rather than having to travel to China or Europe.” Building this world-class prototyping and packaging facility was a priority of mine when negotiating CHIPS and the Science Act. The United States needs to lead in semiconductor research and development, and there is no better place than Arizona to do so. The world’s most advanced microchips, which power everything from AI to quantum computing, will be able to be developed, tested, manufactured and packaged in the United States. I am passionate about Arizona State University’s commitment to being at the forefront of microchip innovation and the efforts of Arizona’s elected leaders (Republican and Democratic), business community, and economic development leaders to make this a reality. We are grateful for our long-standing partnership. ” Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs: “Today’s announcement solidifies Arizona’s position as a global hub for advanced manufacturing and innovation. It will serve as an anchor for Arizona’s thriving semiconductor ecosystem while supporting resiliency. This investment will help develop the next generation of this important cutting-edge technology right here in Arizona. We also want to thank Secretary Raimondo, the Department of Commerce, and the Arizona Congressional Delegation for their support. I also want to commend our partners for their hard work in acquiring this national laboratory for our state,” said Sandra Watson, President and CEO of the Arizona Department of Commerce. states. “This announcement is a testament to Arizona’s robust semiconductor ecosystem and national network of industry and research partners that drive innovation. We deeply appreciate the leadership and cooperation of Governor Hobbs, Senator Kelly, the Congressional delegation, the Arizona State Legislature, the CHIPS office and Department of Commerce, and all of our industry partners. In particular, I would like to commend Dr. Michael Crow and his team at ASU for creating an excellent research environment and forging a solid partnership over the years to win this historic project. ”
