CyManII, UTSA to benefit from proposed $285M award from U.S. Department of Commerce

JANUARY 14, 2025 — The U.S. Department of Commerce recently announced that it will begin negotiations with the Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC) to establish the 18^th Manufacturing USA Institute: Semiconductor Manufacturing and Advanced Research with Twins (SMART USA). The projected federal funding for the new institute is $285 million and, with cost share from potential members, support could ultimately reach $1 billion. The federal funding for this Manufacturing USA Institute comes from the CHIPS and Science Act.

Once launched, SMART USA will focus on developing, validating and using digital twins to improve domestic semiconductor design, manufacturing, advanced packaging, assembly and test processes. Digital twins are virtual models that replicate physical chips.

UTSA and the Cybersecurity Manufacturing Innovation Institute (CyManII) are well-positioned to benefit from this investment.

“UTSA is a strong advocate for growing domestic innovation in semiconductor manufacturing, fabrication and packaging.”

“UTSA is a strong advocate for growing domestic innovation in semiconductor manufacturing, fabrication and packaging. Working with the SMART USA Institute, we will continue to drive the U.S. economy forward,” said UTSA President Taylor Eighmy.

CyManII, a Manufacturing USA Innovation Institute housed at UTSA, is focused on developing and deploying cybersecurity innovations to protect U.S. manufacturers from cyberthreats. The institute is laying the groundwork for a comprehensive integrated approach to cybersecurity. From a global perspective, a country that cyber-secures its manufacturing ecosystem is the country that will secure its economy.

During the formation of SMART USA, CyManII provided leadership on securing the Institute’s digital twins and data, securing the supply chain with cyberphysical passports, and leveraging CyManII’s extensive Education & Workforce Development program to enable SMART USA to scale its training platforms efficiently. In addition, CyManII’s Secure Research and Development Infrastructure (SRDI) potentially provides SMART USA with a cybersecurity framework to secure the digital twins. 

Its SRDI plays a critical role in transitioning best-in-class innovations onto the manufacturing floors of its partners and into critical domestic supply chains. The institute plans to accelerate the development and deployment of these secure innovations and to support SMART USA.

“We are all working toward this digital twin solution and the U.S. chip manufacturer’s ability to innovate and apply different technologies for chip generation and validation,” said Howard Grimes, CEO of CyManII. “We will upscale our SRDI technology to support SMART USA, the crown jewel in the digital chip environment.”

Investments in research and development programs, such as SMART USA, will ensure America stays at the cutting-edge of manufacturing far into the future. CyManII and UTSA look forward to taking on significant cybersecurity issues in the next frontier of technological advancements in the semiconductor industry.

— Kiko Martinez