In Austin, Texas, a former 1980s chip plant is being refitted into a next-generation research foundry. Backed by $1.4 billion from the Department of Defense under DARPA’s Next-Generation Microelectronics Manufacturing (NGMM) program, the facility will concentrate on 3D heterogeneous integration (3DHI), assembling multiple chip types and materials in a single package to push beyond the limits of conventional silicon design.
The ultimate goal of this project is to close the gap between laboratory…