National Semiconductor Technology Center

Establishing U.S. Leadership in Future Semiconductor Technologies

The National Semiconductor Technology Center (NSTC), is a public-private consortium dedicated to semiconductor research and development in the United States. The NSTC will convene the U.S. government, organizations across the semiconductor ecosystem—including academia and businesses of all kinds—to address the most challenging barriers to continued technological progress in the domestic semiconductor industry, including the need for a capable workforce.

Why Do We Need the NSTC?

Semiconductors power everything, including computers, smartphones, appliances, automobiles, gaming hardware, medical equipment and other critical devices, and more. Since Jack Kilby demonstrated the first integrated circuit in 1958, the rate of advancement has been astonishing. Despite many predictions of fundamental barriers along the way, semiconductors have arguably become the most sophisticated systems known to mankind, and progress continues today. Society will rely on yet more progress as semiconductors continue to be the building blocks of the technologies that will shape our future, including artificial intelligence (AI), biotechnology, and clean energy. Because semiconductors are a critical technology that underpins society, we must ensure that the U.S. leads the world in both innovation and manufacturing.

As semiconductor technology becomes more sophisticated, this progress comes at an increasing cost. New innovations require a greater investment to make it to market. Making an impact with a new invention can require more capital than most start-ups can afford. In some cases, even the largest companies cannot take on the risk required to bring new technologies into production.

The NSTC has three strategic goals:  

1. Extend U.S. leadership in foundational technologies for future applications and industries and strengthen the U.S. semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem
2. Significantly reduce the time and cost to prototype innovative ideas
3. Build and sustain a semiconductor workforce development ecosystem

How will the NSTC work?

There are three key components to enabling the work of the NSTC:

1. The NSTC Consortium

2. The National Center for the Advancement of Semiconductor Technology (Natcast)

3. The CHIPS R&D Program Office

The Secretaries of Commerce, Defense, Energy, the Director of the National Science Foundation, and the CEO of Natcast signed an agreement to establish the NSTC as a public-private consortium. 

The agreement outlines the goals and processes for determining the strategy and membership structure of the NSTC Consortium. The NSTC Consortium is not a legal entity and does not have a staff. Rather, it has a Steering Committee as its governing body, and will include members from a wide range of stakeholders including industry, academic institutions, investors, and government bodies. 

As a new purpose-built, non-profit entity, Natcast was created to operate the programs of the NSTC Consortium. 

The NSTC Consortium, Natcast, and the CHIPS R&D Office will work together as a team to create a best-in-class new research center for the nation, based on input from members of the NSTC Consortium and to fulfill the vision of the CHIPS and Science Act.