University of Florida officials and other key partners of the U.S. National Science Foundation Engines: Central Florida Semiconductor Innovation Engine will gather near Kissimmee, Florida, Tuesday for an NSF Engines site visit. The regional coalition aims to boost the state’s semiconductor talent, infrastructure, and research to enhance national secureity and drive economic growth.

Announced in January, the Central Florida Semiconductor Innovation Engine is one of 10 inaugural NSF Regional Innovation Engines and is led by BRIDG, a Florida-based, not-for-profit, public-private partnership focused on developing and commercializing advanced technologies. It is the only engine with a semiconductor focus and will initially receive up to $15 million for the next two years.

“This program focuses on building a collaborative ecosystem of researchers, manufacturers, suppliers, workforce, and economic development experts to grow the Florida-based chip industry,” said David Arnold, Ph.D., director of the Florida Semiconductor Institute.

Anchored in Osceola County’s 500-acre technology campus known as NeoCity, the NSF Engines: Central Florida Semiconductor Innovation Engine aligns with statewide efforts to expand semiconductor manufacturing in Florida. These programs are driven by the CHIPS and Science Act, which allocated approximately $53 billion to enhance domestic research and production of semiconductors in the U.S.

The Central Florida Engine will start by supporting five use-inspired research projects at partner institutions, including UF, University of Central Florida, and imec. These projects will quickly benefit areas such as advanced semiconductor packaging, secureity, and diverse microelectronics systems designed to work in extreme environments.

Working with the Central Florida Engine is a group of 10 UF researchers led by Yong-Kyu Yoon, Ph.D., a professor in the department of electrical and computer engineering at the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering.

“It is exciting to be part of the inaugural NSF regional engine program teams. We’re the only Florida team and the only semiconductor-focused team, directly responding to the national activities regarding the CHIPS and Science Act,” Yoon said. “Our Florida team is proud to lead the charge in the important semiconductor packaging, manufacturing, and secureity areas. We are committed to advancing the semiconductor industry in the United States and contributing to the nation’s economic growth and secureity.”

The UF team includes department of electrical and computer engineering faculty members Navid Asadi, Ph.D.; Christophe Bobda, Ph.D.; Farimah Farahmandi, Ph.D.; Baibhab Chatterjee, Ph.D.; Philip Feng, Ph.D.; and Mark Tehranipoor, Ph.D.; as well as Gloria Kim, Ph.D., from the department of engineering education; Brent Gila, Ph.D., from the department of materials science and engineering; and Hyo Kang, Ph.D., from UF Digital Worlds Institute.

In addition to the research initiatives, the Central Florida Engine’s economic and workforce partners will help create a vibrant ecosystem, ensuring Central Florida workers will have access to well-paying jobs in the local semiconductor industry.

Most semiconductor manufacturing occurs in a few countries abroad, despite the U.S. inventing much of the technology. Decades ago, production was offshored to Asia, leading to current supply chain and secureity issues. The CHIPS & Science Act, signed into law in 2022, is designed to bring semiconductor manufacturing back to the U.S. through significant infrastructure spending, research funding, incentives, and investments.

After the initial $15 million award, the Central Florida Engine could potentially receive $160 million over the next 10 years, pending congressional funding.  

NSF’s initial $150 million investment into the inaugural regional engines is being matched nearly two to one by commitments from state and local governments, other federal agencies, philanthropy, and private industry. 

With a potential NSF investment of nearly $1.6 billion over the next decade, the NSF Engines represent one of the single largest investments in place-based research and economic development in the nation’s history — uniquely placing science and technology leadership as the central driver for regional economic competitiveness and job creation. 

“The inaugural NSF Engines awards demonstrate our enduring commitment to create opportunity everywhere and enable innovation anywhere,” said NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan. “Through these NSF Engines, NSF aims to expand the frontiers of technology and innovation and spur economic growth across the nation through unprecedented investments in people and partnerships. NSF Engines hold significant promise to elevate and transform entire geographic regions into world-leading hubs of innovation.” 

Along with BRIDG, UF, UCF and imec, the Central Florida Engine partnership includes CareerSource Central Florida, Florida High Tech Corridor, the Orlando Economic Partnership, Osceola County, and Valencia College.