Pennsylvania lawmakers serving in both houses of Congress joined a bipartisan group of their colleagues in supporting the Penn State Mid-Atlantic Semiconductor Hub (MASH) Digital Twin Institute (DTI) application in the U.S. Commerce Department’s CHIPS Manufacturing USA Institute Competition.
Specifically, the group urged U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo to fully consider the application submitted by the Penn State-led MASH DTI to become a CHIPS Manufacturing USA Institute, which focuses on the production of digital twin technology for semiconductors that allow for research conducted digitally.
“Given Pennsylvania’s long history in manufacturing, science, and technology, we are eager to continue to support and uplift the role that the commonwealth will play in advancing American leadership in semiconductor manufacturing and technology,” the members wrote in a Sept. 3 letter sent to Raimondo. “We believe that, under Penn State’s leadership, MASH is in a strong position to successfully serve as the CHIPS Manufacturing USA institute.”
MASH DTI would be the world’s first distributed semiconductor network, creating a nationwide program for education, research, and workforce development to meet the needs of the semiconductor industry, according to the lawmakers.
“Penn State has assembled an impressive coalition of partners to compete for the opportunity,” they wrote. “The wide-reaching team of experts includes 52 academic partners, with major nodes at Penn State University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Arizona State University, as well as collaboration with West Virginia University and education institutions throughout the MidAtlantic region.”
Additionally, the university’s proposal includes 129 industry partners, five national labs, more than 100 education and workforce development partners, and other critical stakeholders anchored in the Mid-Atlantic but with a footprint across the nation, according to their letter.
“All of these valuable partners lend a wealth of knowledge and resources to support our common goal of strengthening the domestic semiconductor industry and increasing U.S. economic competitiveness,” wrote the members.
Among the 22 lawmakers who signed the letter were U.S. Sens. Bob Casey (D-PA) and John Fetterman (D-PA), as well as U.S. Reps. Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA-6), Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA-15), Chris Deluzio (D-PA-17), Susan Wild (D-PA-7), Summer Lee (D-PA-12), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA-1), Mike Kelly (R-PA-16), Dan Meuser (R-PA-9), John Joyce (R-PA-13), and Madeleine Dean (D-PA-4).
“Creating opportunities that can be met with a wide range of skills and backgrounds is necessary for the nation to increase its competitiveness in the semiconductor industry and to support the communities where these efforts are located,” wrote the lawmakers. “This proposal shows strong potential for supporting the reshoring of semiconductor production, thereby increasing both our national security and global competitiveness. We urge you to give this application full and fair consideration.”