CHIPS for America's Strong Start

Since releasing the first CHIPS for America funding opportunity in February 2023, the Department of Commerce’s CHIPS Program Office has received widespread interest and enthusiasm from the private sector. As of this week, the Department has received more than 200 Statements of Interest (SOIs) from potential applicants seeking incentives to manufacture more semiconductor chips in America, protect our long-term national security, and solidify America’s technological and innovation leadership.

Of the over 200 statements the Department has received:

• The projects described in these statements cover 35 states and span the entire semiconductor ecosystem.
• More than half of the statements indicate interest in the first funding opportunity covering commercial fabrication facilities, including for leading-edge, current-generation, and mature-node chips, as well as back-end packaging facilities.
• The remainder of the statements indicate interest in the forthcoming funding opportunities for semiconductor suppliers and R&D facilities.

President Biden’s Investing in America agenda has already attracted private investments rebuilding our supply chains to create a manufacturing resurgence, and it is clear the private sector remains eager to continue investing in America. The potential applicants described in the statements include leading-edge fabs, facilities producing legacy chips, back-end packaging facilities, plants to make materials and chemicals, and more.

Department Accepting Statements on Rolling Basis

The CHIPS Program Office is continuing to accept Statements of Interest (SOIs) and will consider applications on a rolling basis and encourages all potential applicants seeking incentives for commercial fabrication facilities, upstream supply chain facilities, and R&D facilities to keep filing them. The statements will continue helping the Department understand project interest and plan funding. While there is widespread interest in CHIPS for America funding, the Department will evaluate applications on whether projects advance U.S. economic and national security. These incentives are intended to spur investment and crowd in private capital–not replace it.

ICYMI: CHIPS for America on Bloomberg’s Odd Lots Podcast

This week, CHIPS Program Office Director Mike Schmidt and Chief Investment Officer Todd Fisher joined Tracy Alloway and Joe Weisenthal on Bloomberg’s Odd Lots podcast to provide updates on implementing the CHIPS Act. Bloomberg noted they joined to discuss “the act’s goals, what’s been achieved so far, and why they believe it can succeed.” Schmidt and Fisher talked about how the CHIPS for America program is planning to evaluate how applications advance economic and national security, what Commerce is hearing from companies about the need for strong workforce development, and how the team is structured and planning to invest across the semiconductor ecosystem.

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Read the full transcript

Frequently Asked Questions

As the CHIPS for America team continues hearing questions from the public, we will keep updating the “Frequently Asked Questions” section on CHIPS.gov to provide additional information and details about the program. New questions we have answered include:

• How will upside sharing work?
• How will the CHIPS Program Office protect confidential business information throughout the application process?
• Will the CHIPS Program Office support applicants in the environmental review process?
• What are the national security guardrails in the CHIPS and Science Act?

Visit the CHIPS.gov FAQs to read the answers to these questions and more.

Upcoming Webinars

CHIPS for America continues to host a series of public webinars on application materials and resources where applicants and stakeholders have opportunity to ask questions. Register for upcoming webinars and access recordings of previous webinars, including this week’s webinars on pre-application and financial modeling, on the CHIPS.gov website.

About CHIPS for America

CHIPS for America is part of President Biden’s economic plan to invest in America, stimulate private sector investment, create good-paying jobs, make more in the United States, and revitalize communities left behind. CHIPS for America includes the CHIPS Program Office, responsible for manufacturing incentives, and the CHIPS Research and Development Office, responsible for R&D programs, that both sit within the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) at the Department of Commerce. NIST promotes U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards, and technology in ways that enhance economic security and improve our quality of life. NIST is uniquely positioned to successfully administer the CHIPS for America program because of the bureau’s strong relationships with U.S. industries, its deep understanding of the semiconductor ecosystem, and its reputation as fair and trusted. Visit https://www.chips.gov to learn more.