The Defense Department‘s budget request for fiscal year 2018 includes $75 million for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency‘s public-private initiative that seeks to support further technological developments in the area of electronics.
DARPA said Thursday the “electronics resurgence” initiative aims to foster a continued boost in electronics performance even without further miniaturization.
The budget allocation will supplement DARPA’s FY 2018 research and development portfolio in electronics, photonics and related systems, which will create a combined effort worth more than $200 million.
The agency expects to receive additional funds through private sector investments.
DARPA’s Microsystems Technology Office will conduct technology discussions, workshops and other activities with the microelectronics community over the next months to establish collaborative, cost-shared research agenda under the electronics initiative.
MTO Director Bill Chappell said DARPA will work with the commercial sector, defense industrial base, academia, national laboratories and others in the push for electronics revolution.
The project aims to study the use of unconventional circuit ingredients to optimize circuit performance without requiring smaller transistors as well as explore circuit structures that meet the needs of tasks they perform.
The initiative also looks to create tools to design and develop specialized circuits, which provide increased speed and energy efficiency compared to general-purpose circuitry.
