US DoC looking for foreign participants in sub-$300m semiconuctor projects

The US Department of Commerce says that in the autumn there will be a funding opportunity for  semiconductor projects and commercial R&D projects worth less than $300 million.

Up to now the funding opportunities have been for more expensive projects.

The goals for smaller projects, set out in a vision paper from the DoC,  include:

1. Strengthening supply chain resilience, including by reducing chokepoint risks flowing from the geographic concentration of critical semiconductor inputs;

2.  Advancing US technology leadership, including by incentivising, major US manufacturing equipment and material suppliers to increase their footprints in the USA, including attracting non-US suppliers of the world’s most advanced equipment, materials, and subsystems to establish large-scale footprints in the US;

 3. Supporting  US fab clusters, including by ensuring that each CHIPS-funded cluster is supported by an ecosystem of reliable suppliers.

The DoC says it will prioritise “robust international engagement” and has engaged with: Korea, Japan, India, the UK, the Indo-Pacific, Economic  Framework, the EU-US Trade and Technology Council, and the North America Leaders’ Summit.