Amid a rise in threats to international semiconductor supply chains, the Brooks Tech Policy Institute (BTPI) has received $3 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Defense to establish the U.S. Semiconductor Research Hub, which will work to assess and improve the resilience of the global interconnected network of semiconductor infrastructure.
Sarah Kreps, the founding director of BTPI in the Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy and the John L. Wetherill Professor in the Department of Government in the College of Arts and Sciences, will lead the work, the objective of which is to anticipate and mitigate future threats.
Kreps has assembled a specialized team of faculty, postdoctoral researchers and doctoral students from fields such as computer science, electrical and computer engineering, and social sciences. The team includes Greg Falco, assistant professor in the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering in Cornell Engineering, and Jae-Sun Seo, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, based at Cornell Tech.
The research will identify critical vulnerabilities in the semiconductor supply chain, develop targeted mitigation strategies and inform effective investments to enhance resilience, while building a foundation for continued collaboration between academia, industry and government leaders.
“The creation of the U.S. Semiconductor Research Hub at a time when semiconductor supply chains are under threat is exactly the type of timely, purpose-driven and impact-oriented tech policy research that our institute was created to undertake,” Kreps said. “Partnering with our colleagues in Cornell Engineering and at Cornell Tech is an exciting opportunity to leverage Cornell’s wide-ranging expertise in the area of semiconductor technologies and manufacturing.”
The research hub launches as the U.S. government is making an unprecedented investment in manufacturing leadership and advanced research and development in the semiconductor industry through the CHIPS Act and other policies aimed at boosting domestic semiconductor manufacturing, research and development, and enhancing economic and national security.
“Semiconductor security is a highly interdisciplinary field which requires rigorous physics-grounded cyber engineering methodologies coupled with complex systems supply chain mapping,” Falco said. “By aligning our efforts across disciplines and methodologies, our team will be able to offer weakness assessments and highlight opportunities for critical improvement.”
Geographically, Cornell is well-positioned to collaborate with the numerous semiconductor entities active in upstate New York, including Micron Technology, Albany Nanotech and GlobalFoundries. In addition to its partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense, the Brooks Tech Policy Institute has worked with NATO, the Human Rights Foundation, the Reynolds Foundation and the ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Science Foundation on issues involving the intersections of technology, national security, and U.S. domestic and foreign policy.
“This project is about ensuring the integrity and security of a supply chain that underpins our economic stability and national security,” said Brett Reichert, acting program director of the Semiconductor Research Hub. “By preemptively understanding and addressing vulnerabilities, we can better protect the technologies that are essential to everyday life, from communications and transportation to critical infrastructure.”
Giles Morris is assistant dean for communications in the Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy.
