U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D–N.Y.) last week announced more than $27 million in U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) funding for the Northeast Regional Defense Technology Hub (NORDTECH).
NORDTECH describes itself as a regional consortium of government labs, defense companies, academic institutions, and technology-manufacturing organizations in New York state and one of eight hubs involved in the U.S. Microelectronics Commons program, per a separate announcement on Wednesday, Sept. 18.
NORDTECH’s five founding members — who comprise the hub’s leadership team and governance committee — include the New York Center for Research, Economic Advancement, Technology, Engineering, and Science (NY CREATES) in Albany; the University at Albany College of Nanotechnology, Science, and Engineering (CNSE); Cornell University; Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI); and IBM, as outlined in the NORDTECH announcement.
The funding will help NORDTECH to boost semiconductor and other technology research & development (R&D) and workforce training at upstate New York universities and research institutions, Schumer’s office noted.
This funding comes from the $2 billion CHIPS for America Defense Fund which Schumer helped establish in his CHIPS & Science Law. His office says the effort helped secure upstate’s spot in competing to become one of the first Microelectronic Commons Hubs last year.
Projects awarded funding
The U.S. Department of Defense selected four of NORDTECH’s projects based in New York that are focused on quantum research and development to receive federal funding.
They include the Superconducting Quantum Error Correction Qubit, which was awarded more than $8.5 million. NY CREATES is the lead research institution, and Cornell University, Syracuse University, New York University, and the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) are among the partner research institutions.
They also include the Nitride RF Next-Generation Technology (NITRIDER) project, which was awarded more than $8.1 million. Cornell University is the lead research institution, and RPI is among the partner research institutions.
In addition, more than $8.2 million was awarded to the Quantum Ultra-broadband Photonic Integrated Circuits and Systems (QUPICS) project. AIM Photonics and Cornell University are the lead research institutions, and Cornell, Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), Columbia, and AFRL are among the partner research institutions.
The federal government also awarded more than $2.4 million for the Heterogeneous Quantum Networking project. RIT is the lead research institution, and the partner research institutions include AFRL Information Directorate, Yale University, Duke University, AIM Photonics, and NY CREATES.