The CHIPS and Science Act is a landmark federal law signed in 2022 that invests over $52 billion to strengthen America's semiconductor industry. Semiconductors — the tiny chips that power everything from smartphones to medical devices — are essential to modern life, yet most are manufactured overseas. The CHIPS Act is bringing that manufacturing back to the United States, creating good-paying jobs, securing our supply chains, and keeping America at the forefront of innovation.

Photo (2025): First cohort along side our PI, Dr. Jeffrey Weldon in front of the engineering building, Holmes Hall 

The program also extended well beyond campus walls. A three-day mainland visit took students to UC Davis, Stanford, and UC Berkeley, where they toured world-class nanofabrication labs and engaged alongside partner institutions from across the country. Being welcomed into that broader hub was a meaningful signal — that Hawaiʻi has a seat at the table in the national semiconductor conversation. Site visits to Micron, Nalu Scientific, and Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific deepened students' industry exposure and opened doors to professional relationships.