AI to develop sustainable semiconductor materials

U.S. funding $100 million for the use of AI to develop sustainable semiconductor materials

2024-10-03 From Sebastian Gerstl | Translated by AI 2 min Reading Time

Related Vendors

The United States aims to advance the use of AI and sustainability in the chip industry. Therefore, the U.S. Department of Commerce has announced it will provide $100 million to support the use of artificial intelligence in developing new sustainable semiconductor materials.

The United States has announced a competition for the use of machine learning and AI technologies to develop sustainable semiconductor materials.(Image: Pixabay) — The United States has announced a competition for the use of machine learning and AI technologies to develop sustainable semiconductor materials.
(Image: Pixabay)

The U.S. Department of Commerce is launching an open competition for the use of AI-driven autonomous experiments. The aim of the competition is to demonstrate how Artificial Intelligence can aid in the development of new sustainable semiconductor materials and processes. The materials developed in this way are intended to be introduced within five years.

The program, funded with $100 million sourced from the more than $50 billion allocated under the US Chips Act, aims to support universities, national research centers, and private sector companies in the development of AI-driven autonomous experiments for sustainable semiconductor manufacturing. As a model for this program, existing AI-driven processes already employed in the research of new battery materials are cited. This initiative highlights the government's commitment to fostering innovation and sustainability in key technological areas through significant financial support and collaboration across academia and industry.

"Currently, it often takes years for new semiconductor materials to be production-ready, and they are incredibly resource-intensive," said US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo at the announcement of the program. "If we want to rapidly and sustainably expand American semiconductor production in light of the increasing threats from the climate crisis, we must use AI to swiftly develop sustainable material processes. This new program will harness the tremendous capabilities of AI to unlock the full potential of our workers and innovators, while also building a safer and more sustainable domestic semiconductor industry."

AI-supported autonomous research experiments, also referred to as "AI-assisted Autonomous Experimentation" (AI/AE), involve a method used in materials research and development where automated synthesis and characterization tools are combined with an AI "planner" to determine the next set of experiments in a series. This accelerates the development of new materials and the collection of material data. In addition to speeding up processes, it also facilitates collaboration across multiple research institutions—whether at universities, research centers, or corporate R&D facilities. This integration of AI in the experimental planning phase helps optimize resource usage, reduce the time for experimental cycles, and enhance the innovative output across different teams and locations.

Subscribe to the newsletter now

Don't Miss out on Our Best Content

Business E-mail

Please enter a valid mailadress.

By clicking on „Subscribe to Newsletter“ I agree to the processing and use of my data according to the consent form (please expand for details) and accept the Terms of Use. For more information, please see our Privacy Policy. The consent declaration relates, among other things, to the sending of editorial newsletters by email and to data matching for marketing purposes with selected advertising partners (e.g., LinkedIn, Google, Meta)

Date: 08.12.2025

Naturally, we always handle your personal data responsibly. Any personal data we receive from you is processed in accordance with applicable data protection legislation. For detailed information please see our privacy policy.

Consent to the use of data for promotional purposes

I hereby consent to Vogel Communications Group GmbH & Co. KG, Max-Planck-Str. 7-9, 97082 Würzburg including any affiliated companies according to §§ 15 et seq. AktG (hereafter: Vogel Communications Group) using my e-mail address to send editorial newsletters. A list of all affiliated companies can be found here

Newsletter content may include all products and services of any companies mentioned above, including for example specialist journals and books, events and fairs as well as event-related products and services, print and digital media offers and services such as additional (editorial) newsletters, raffles, lead campaigns, market research both online and offline, specialist webportals and e-learning offers. In case my personal telephone number has also been collected, it may be used for offers of aforementioned products, for services of the companies mentioned above, and market research purposes.

Additionally, my consent also includes the processing of my email address and telephone number for data matching for marketing purposes with select advertising partners such as LinkedIn, Google, and Meta. For this, Vogel Communications Group may transmit said data in hashed form to the advertising partners who then use said data to determine whether I am also a member of the mentioned advertising partner portals. Vogel Communications Group uses this feature for the purposes of re-targeting (up-selling, cross-selling, and customer loyalty), generating so-called look-alike audiences for acquisition of new customers, and as basis for exclusion for on-going advertising campaigns. Further information can be found in section “data matching for marketing purposes”.

In case I access protected data on Internet portals of Vogel Communications Group including any affiliated companies according to §§ 15 et seq. AktG, I need to provide further data in order to register for the access to such content. In return for this free access to editorial content, my data may be used in accordance with this consent for the purposes stated here. This does not apply to data matching for marketing purposes.

Right of revocation

I understand that I can revoke my consent at will. My revocation does not change the lawfulness of data processing that was conducted based on my consent leading up to my revocation. One option to declare my revocation is to use the contact form found at https://contact.vogel.de. In case I no longer wish to receive certain newsletters, I have subscribed to, I can also click on the unsubscribe link included at the end of a newsletter. Further information regarding my right of revocation and the implementation of it as well as the consequences of my revocation can be found in the data protection declaration, section editorial newsletter.