Chip Design Hub: Open, Accessible and Scalable Infrastructure for Research and Education

NSF Award Search · 01002829DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT · $7,000,000 · view on nsf.gov ↗

Abstract

Semiconductors and chips are a crucial part of everyday life in the United States. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the problems caused by relying on imports for these essential components, affecting the economy, healthcare, and national security. To ensure national security, there is need to control all aspects of chip design, manufacturing, and integration. However, bringing chip manufacturing back to the US requires a significant increase in skilled workers, including technicians, engineers, scientists, and support staff. Chip manufacturing processes involve complex modeling and simulation tools, which are not commonly used in education today. Only a small number of universities in the US currently educate integrated circuit (IC) design engineers, and even tripling their enrollments won't meet the workforce demand. More universities need to be enabled to teach chip design. Many research institutions face challenges such as lack of Information Technology (IT), legal, and hardware support, educational materials, and experienced instructors. Chipshub will be a National Chip Design Hub for all US universities and colleges, providing education and training that is critical to bringing semiconductor manufacturing back to the US. Chipshub will overcome challenges that span (1) content/products: creation of appropriate and sharable educational and tool content; (2) infrastructure/market: secure, scalable, seamless, user-friendly, well-supported, and sustainable web delivery

Key facts

NSF award ID
2427391
Awardee
Purdue University (IN)
SAM.gov UEI
YRXVL4JYCEF5
PI
Gerhard Klimeck
Primary program
01002829DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
All programs
Estimated total
$7,000,000
Funds obligated
$1,925,000
Transaction type
Cooperative Agreement
Period
06/15/2025 → 05/31/2030