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Google and the US sign an agreement for the creation of open source chips

The end of the restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic also brought relief to the industrial and technological sector. However, no one could have foreseen that such a small element could, in its own way, paralyze the world: microchips. After more than a year and a half of supply problemsthe production of microchips begins to accelerate yes, with the lesson learned: the same thing cannot happen again.

From the European Chip Law to different public and private initiatives have been launched in recent months. The latest, an agreement between Google and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) of the US Department of Commerce. An agreement that aims to create open source chipsthose considered to be the latest generation chips, by the company SkyWater Technology.

Although their application will be open to different sectors, these pieces will be used above all for create new nanotechnology devices and semiconductors. An agreement where Google will pay the initial cost of establishing production, while NIST will design the necessary circuits for the creation of the chips with the help of different universities spread throughout the country, such as Michigan, Maryland, George Washington, Brown and that of Carnegie Mellon.

But, why these new chips will be developed under the open source formula? According to Google, it is the best option since in this way reproducibility is promoted, with which researchers from public and private institutions can repeat the work of others. In addition to democratizing innovation in nanotechnology and semiconductor research.

USA and its desire to become a benchmark in the sector

Another advantage of this collaboration between Google and NIST is that the price of chips will be significantly reduced. As a result, companies will be able to access them more easily, avoiding both supply problems and problems of investing large sums of money in them and leading to higher final prices for the product where they are going to be installed.

Also this union will create bottom layer chips. It is a more advanced chip with specialized structures to measure and test the performance of the rest of the components.

This is one more step for the US to position itself as a world leader in the technology sector. It should be remembered that a few weeks ago the Science and Chips Act pushed by the Biden administration was endorsed by Congress for its materialization. A law that aims to promote funding aimed at boosting domestic production of semiconductors in response to supply chain disruptions.

There are already several companies that have decided to settle in US territory to open new semiconductor plants after the approval of said law. A signature authorizing the release of $52 billion in government subsidies for semiconductor research and productionin addition to a tax credit for investment in chip plants estimated at 24,000 million.

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