Sivers Semiconductors receives $5.6 million CHIPS Act funding
The company will be working with partners to accelerate
critical chip technologies from lab to fab
Sivers Semiconductors has announced that it has received first-year funding of $5.6 million from the Northeast Microelectronics Coalition (NEMC) Hub through the US CHIPS and Science Act.
The funding comes under the Microelectronics Commons programme, executed through the Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division and the National Security Technology Accelerator (NSTXL).
The award funds collaboration between the company and partners BAE Systems, MIT Lincoln Laboratory, and Columbia University to accelerate domestic prototyping and expand the nation’s global leadership in microelectronics. This is one of six projects awarded to the NEMC Hub, led by Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MassTech), under the Microelectronics Commons Program.
According to Sivers Semiconductors, it will lead the Electronic Warfare Technology Program, focusing on self-interference cancellation circuits that enable full-duplex arrays that can transmit and receive at the same time and the same frequency. Such simultaneous transmit and receive (STAR) arrays enable new multi-function capabilities for electronic warfare systems, such as joint radar and communications. They also have dual-use commercial applications, specifically in range-extending repeaters.
The primary challenge with full-duplex or simultaneous-transmit-and-receive operation is the self-interference from the transmitter to the receiver, which can be a billion to a trillion times more powerful than the desired signal to be received. This necessitates highly precise self-interference cancellation circuitry that can cancel the transmitter leakage with a one-part-per-billion/trillion accuracy.
Furthermore, accomplishing this self-interference cancellation in large arrays, such as those used in electronic warfare systems as well as 5G millimetre-wave and FR3, is yet another challenge. Sivers Semiconductors says that this programme, which is renewable across three years, will transition technology developed at Columbia University, BAE Systems and MIT Lincoln Laboratory to product-grade implementations and deployment readiness.
“This initiative opens new applications and verticals in the defence sector for Sivers,” said Vickram Vathulya, CEO of Sivers Semiconductors. “Our collaboration with industry leading partners such as BAE, one of the two largest suppliers of electronic warfare technology within the US defence industrial base, will accelerate our go-to-market strategy in electronic warfare.”
Carolyn Kirk, CEO of MassTech, said: “This award highlights the ingenuity and expertise that exists across the Northeast when it comes to microelectronics and semiconductors. The technology development and transition partnerships being fostered by the NEMC Hub will have an enduring impact on our national and economic security.”
Harish Krishnaswamy, managing director, Wireless Division at Sivers Semiconductors, added: “It is exciting to explore new applications for our expertise and technology in beamforming and interference-tolerant chip design. Our collaboration with a leading defence prime, a leading academic institution and the top federally-funded R&D centre ensures that our team has all the skills and resources to be successful.”
NEMC Hub Director Mark Halfman said: “This award is a testament to the hard work, collaboration, and leadership the NEMC Hub and its members have demonstrated during the first year of the Microelectronics Commons. We have a tremendous opportunity to grow microelectronics lab-to-fab capabilities and spur the growth of game-changing technologies.”
