Micro Act
Bill: H.R.6291 | Sponsor: Rep. Tonko, Paul (D-NY)
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications

Summary:
Microelectronics Research for Energy Innovation Act or the Micro Act
This bill directs the Department of Energy (DOE) to carry out a cross-cutting program of research, development, and demonstration of microelectronics relevant to the mission of DOE and in the service of the nation's global competitiveness in the field of microelectronics.
In carrying out such program, DOE shall award financial assistance to eligible entities, such as national laboratories, to carry out research projects in, among other things, foundational science areas and methods for leveraging artificial intelligence.
The Office of Science within DOE shall establish up to four Microelectronics Science Research Centers to conduct mission-driven research to address foundational challenges in the design, development, and fabrication of microelectronics and to facilitate the translation of research results to industry.
The Office of Science, in coordination with the Office of Technology Transitions, shall implement partnerships with industry groups to facilitate the translation and transfer of research results produced by the centers.

To provide for a comprehensive and integrative program to accelerate 
microelectronics research and development at the Department of Energy, 
                        and for other purposes.


 


    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Microelectronics Research for Energy 
Innovation Act'' or the ``Micro Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Department.--The term ``Department'' means the 
        Department of Energy.
            (2) Historically black college and university.--The term 
        ``historically Black college and university'' has the meaning 
        given the term ``part B institution'' in section 322 of the 
        Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1061).
            (3) Institution of higher education.--The term 
        ``institution of higher education'' has the meaning given the 
        term in section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
        U.S.C. 1001(a)).
            (4) Minority serving institution.--The term ``minority 
        serving institution'' includes the entities described in any of 
        the paragraphs (1) through (7) of section 371(a) of the Higher 
        Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1067q(a)).
            (5) National laboratory.--The term ``National Laboratory'' 
        has the meaning given the term in section 2 of the Energy 
        Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 15801).
            (6) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Energy.
            (7) Skilled technical workforce.--The term ``skilled 
        technical workforce'' has the meaning given such term in 
        section 4(b) of the Innovations in Mentoring, Training, and 
        Apprenticeships Act (42 U.S.C. 1862p).
            (8) Tribal college and university.--The term ``Tribal 
        College and University'' has the meaning given in section 316 
        of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1059c).

SEC. 3. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) the coming end of Moore's Law presents major 
        technological challenges and opportunities for the United 
        States and important implications for national security, 
        economic competitiveness, and scientific discovery;
            (2) future progress and innovation in microelectronics, and 
        maintaining a robust domestic microelectronics supply chain, 
        will require an approach that advances relevant materials 
        science, electronic and photonic device technologies, 
        processing and packaging technologies, manufacturing 
        technologies, circuit, chip, and system architecture, and 
        software system and algorithm development in a co-design 
        fashion;
            (3) the National Laboratories possess unique technical 
        expertise and user facilities that are essential to overcoming 
        foundational research challenges relevant to the topics 
        described in paragraph (2), and translating and transferring 
        research outcomes to industry; and
            (4) the assets described in paragraph (3) will enable the 
        Department to drive advances in microelectronics that are 
        essential to meeting future needs in areas critical to its 
        missions as well as the future competitiveness of the domestic 
        microelectronics industry, including high-performance 
        computing, emerging data-centric computing approaches, and 
        energy-efficient computing; optical sensors, sources, and 
        wireless networks; and power electronics and electricity 
        delivery systems.

SEC. 4. MICROELECTRONICS RESEARCH PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary shall carry out a cross-cutting 
program of research, development, and demonstration of microelectronics 
relevant to the mission of the Department and in the service of the 
Nation's global competitiveness in the field of microelectronics. In 
carrying out this program, the Secretary shall coordinate across all 
relevant programs and offices of the Department.
    (b) Research Areas.--In carrying out the program under subsection 
(a), the Secretary shall award financial assistance to eligible 
entities under subsection (c) to carry out research projects in--
            (1) foundational science areas, including--
                    (A) materials sciences, chemical sciences, and 
                plasma science synthesis, and fabrication;
                    (B) novel microelectronics devices, including 
                emerging memory and storage technologies;
                    (C) diverse computing architectures and paradigms, 
                including analog computing and edge computing;
                    (D) data-driven modeling and simulation;
                    (E) integrated sensing, power harvesting, and 
                communications;
                    (F) component integration and subsystems;
                    (G) photonic integration; and
                    (H) development of co-design frameworks for all 
                stages of microelectronics design, development, 
                fabrication, and application;
            (2) cybersecurity by design to result in trusted and 
        resilient microelectronics;
            (3) methods for leveraging advanced simulation and 
        artificial intelligence to enhance co-design and discovery in 
        microelectronics;
            (4) in consultation with the National Institute of 
        Standards and Technology, fabrication and processing science 
        and metrology associated with microelectronics manufacturing, 
        including lithography, patterning, surface deposition, etching, 
        and cleaning;
            (5) approaches for optimizing system-level energy 
        efficiency of advanced computing systems, the electrical grid, 
        power electronics, and other energy infrastructure;
            (6) approaches for enhancing the durability and lifetime of 
        radiation-hardened electronics;
            (7) enhancement of microelectronics security, including the 
        development of integrated devices, packages, and thermal 
        management for severe environments and national security; and
            (8) in coordination with other relevant initiatives at the 
        Department, methods to improve the lifetime, maintenance, 
        decommissioning, recycling, reuse, and sustainability of 
        microelectronics components and systems, including technologies 
        and strategies that reduce the use of energy, water, critical 
        materials, and other commodities that are determined to be 
        vulnerable to disruption.
    (c) Eligible Entities.--The entities eligible to receive financial 
assistance under this section include--
            (1) an institution of higher education, including 
        historically Black colleges and universities, Tribal colleges 
        and universities, and minority serving institutions;
            (2) a nonprofit research organization;
            (3) a State research agency;
            (4) a National Laboratory;
            (5) a private commercial entity;
            (6) a partnership or consortium of 2 or more entities 
        described in paragraphs (1) through (5); and
            (7) any other entities the Secretary deems appropriate.
    (d) Technology Transfer.--In carrying out the program described in 
subsection (a), the Secretary, in coordination with the Director of the 
Office of Technology Transitions, and in consultation with the private 
sector, shall support translational research and transfer of 
microelectronics technologies and identify emerging research and 
development needs of industry and government for the benefit of United 
States economic competitiveness.
    (e) Workforce Development.--In carrying out the program under 
subsection (a), the Secretary shall support--
            (1) workforce development through the existing authorities 
        and mechanisms available to the Department, including 
        internships, fellowships, individual investigator grants, and 
        other activities the Secretary deems appropriate; and
            (2) education and outreach activities to disseminate 
        information and promote understanding of microelectronics and 
        related fields among students at K-12, undergraduate, and 
        graduate levels. Such activities may include educational 
        programming with an emphasis on experiential and project-based 
        learning. The Secretary shall consult with the Director of the 
        National Science Foundation on activities carried out this 
        paragraph.
    (f) Outreach.--In carrying out activities under subsection (e), the 
Secretary shall ensure program outreach to recruit applicants and 
engage participants from all regions of the country, especially 
underserved communities and groups historically underrepresented in 
STEM.
    (g) Report.--Not less than 180 days after the enactment of this 
Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Science, Space, and 
Technology of the House of Representatives, and the Committee on Energy 
and Natural Resources of the Senate, a report describing the goals, 
priorities, and anticipated outcomes of the program described in 
subsection (a).
    (h) Funding.--There are authorized to be appropriated to the 
Secretary to carry out the activities described in this section--
            (1) $75,000,000 for fiscal year 2022;
            (2) $100,000,000 for fiscal year 2023;
            (3) $100,000,000 for fiscal year 2024;
            (4) $100,000,000 for fiscal year 2025; and
            (5) $100,000,000 for fiscal year 2026.

SEC. 5. MICROELECTRONICS SCIENCE RESEARCH CENTERS.

    (a) In General.--In carrying out the program under section 4, the 
Secretary, acting through the Director of the Office of Science, shall 
establish up to four Microelectronics Science Research Centers 
(referred to in this section as ``Centers'') to conduct mission-driven 
research to address foundational challenges in the design, development, 
characterization, prototyping, demonstration, and fabrication of 
microelectronics and to facilitate the translation of research results 
to industry.
    (b) Activities.--The activities of the Centers authorized under 
this section shall include research, development, and demonstration 
activities for--
            (1) accelerating the development of new microelectronics 
        science and technology, including materials, devices, circuits, 
        systems, architectures, fabrication tools, processes, 
        diagnostics, modeling, synthesis, and, in consultation with the 
        National Institute of Standards and Technology, metrology;
            (2) advancing the sustainability and energy efficiency of 
        new microelectronics devices, packages, and systems;
            (3) application-driven co-design and prototyping of novel 
        devices to facilitate laboratory-to-fabrication transition;
            (4) advancing knowledge and experimental capabilities in 
        surface and materials science, plasma science, and 
        computational and theoretical methods, including artificial 
        intelligence, multi-scale co-design, and advanced 
        supercomputing capabilities to invent and manufacture 
        revolutionary microelectronic devices;
            (5) creating technology testbeds for prototyping platforms 
        for validation and verification of new capabilities and sharing 
        of ideas, intellectual property, and the unique facilities of 
        the Department;
            (6) supporting development of cybersecurity capabilities 
        for computing architectures that measurably improve safety and 
        security, and that are adaptable for existing and future 
        applications; and
            (7) supporting long-term and short-term workforce 
        development in microelectronics.
    (c) Requirements.--
            (1) Selection and duration.--The Director of the Office of 
        Science shall select Centers on a competitive, merit-reviewed 
        basis for a period of not more than 5 years, subject to the 
        availability of appropriations, beginning on the date of 
        establishment of that Center.
            (2) Applications.--An eligible applicant under this 
        subsection shall submit to the Director of the Office of 
        Science an application at such time, in such manner, and 
        containing such information as the Director deems appropriate.
            (3) Eligible applicants.--The Director of the Office of 
        Science shall consider applications from--
                    (A) National Laboratories;
                    (B) institutions of higher education, including 
                historically Black colleges and universities, Tribal 
                colleges and universities, and minority serving 
                institutions;
                    (C) private industry;
                    (D) research centers;
                    (E) consortia of 2 or more of the entities 
                described in subparagraphs (A) through (D); and
                    (F) any other entity that the Secretary of Energy 
                deems appropriate.
            (4) Renewal.--After the end of either period described in 
        paragraph (1), the Director of the Office of Science may renew 
        support for the Center for a period of not more than 5 years on 
        a merit-reviewed basis. For a Center in operation for 10 years 
        after its previous selection on a competitive, merit-reviewed 
        basis, the Director may renew support for the center on a 
        competitive, merit-reviewed basis for a period of not more than 
        5 years, and may subsequently provide an additional renewal on 
        a merit-reviewed basis for a period of not more than 5 years.
            (5) Termination.--Consistent with the existing authorities 
        of the Department, the Director of the Office of Science may 
        terminate an underperforming center for cause during the 
        performance period.
    (d) Technology Transfer.--The Director of the Office of Science, in 
coordination with the Director of the Office of Technology Transitions, 
shall implement partnerships with industry groups for the purpose of 
facilitating the translation and transfer of research results produced 
by the Centers.
    (e) Coordination.--The Secretary shall--
            (1) establish a coordinating network to coordinate cross-
        cutting research and foster communication and collaboration 
        among the Centers; and
            (2) ensure the coordination, and avoid unnecessary 
        duplication, of the activities of each Center with the 
        activities of--
                    (A) other research entities of the Department, 
                including--
                            (i) the Nanoscale Science Research Centers;
                            (ii) the National Quantum Information 
                        Science Research Centers;
                            (iii) the Energy Frontier Research Centers;
                            (iv) the Energy Innovation Hubs;
                            (v) the National Laboratories; and
                            (vi) other offices of the Department;
                    (B) the National Semiconductor Technology Center 
                authorized in title XCIX of division H of the William 
                M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act 
                for Fiscal Year 2021 (Public Law 116-283);
                    (C) institutions of higher education;
                    (D) industry; and
                    (E) research activities carried out by other 
                Federal agencies.
    (f) Workforce Development.--Centers established under this section 
shall support workforce development through--
            (1) incorporation of undergraduate students, postdoctoral 
        fellows, graduate students, and early career researchers, as 
        well as K-12 students through opportunities such as dual-
        enrollment programs and work-based learning programs, as 
        applicable;
            (2) hand-on research and equipment training programs;
            (3) technical training and certificate programs for the 
        skilled technical workforce;
            (4) facilitation of engagement between academic, industry, 
        and laboratory researchers; and
            (5) public outreach activities, including to students at K-
        12, undergraduate, and graduate levels. Such activities may 
        include educational programming with an emphasis on 
        experiential and project-based learning.
    (g) Outreach.--In carrying out activities under subsection (e), the 
Secretary shall ensure program outreach to recruit applicants and 
engage participants from all regions of the country, especially 
underserved communities and groups historically underrepresented in 
STEM.
    (h) Intellectual Property.--The Secretary shall ensure that the 
intellectual property and value proposition created by the Centers are 
retained within the United States.
    (i) Funding.--The Secretary of Energy shall allocate up to 
$25,000,000 for each Center established under this section for each of 
fiscal years 2022 through 2026, subject to the availability of 
appropriations.
                                                 Union Calendar No. 349

117th CONGRESS

  2d Session

                               H. R. 6291

                          [Report No. 117-452]

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