DOE Seeks Feedback on Initiative to Bolster Energy Efficiency of Semiconductor Products
Published on
DOE Seeks Feedback on Initiative to Bolster Energy Efficiency of Semiconductor Products

The Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office within the Department of Energy is seeking public input regarding the Energy Efficiency Scaling for Two Decades Initiative and has issued a request for information for the effort.

The EES2 Initiative seeks to double every two years the energy efficiency of semiconductor industry products, which, over the last three decades, has fallen out of pace with global computing demand and, if trends continue, could lead to the consumption of 20 percent of global energy production, the DOE said Wednesday.

AMMTO is also seeking input regarding the draft EES2 Research and Development Roadmap, which outlines the technologies that need to be developed in order to achieve the energy efficiency that the project is targeting.

Feedback regarding three categories is being sought:

  • EES2 initiative goals and objectives
  • Roadmap document
  • Process and future steps

Stakeholders, like those from industry, academia and government, have until Sept. 30 to respond to the RFI.

/
Col. Bryan Sparkman Named Air Force Deputy Chief Data & AI Officer
Published on
Col. Bryan Sparkman Named Air Force Deputy Chief Data & AI Officer

The Department of the Air Force’s Chief Data and AI Office has named Col. Bryan Sparkman as deputy chief data and artificial intelligence officer.

The department’s CDAO announced Sparkman’s appointment in a LinkedIn post published Wednesday.

He succeeds the retiring Col. Anthony “Tony” Lang, who assumed the deputy CDAO position in January.

Sparkman most recently served as chief analyst of the force application division within the Joint Staff.

The department’s CDAO was established in 2017 to enable DAF to leverage the military branch’s data to support missions, strengthen readiness, enhance its cybersecurity posture and achieve military advantage.

In January 2022, the office implemented AI technologies within DAF as part of efforts to drive data innovation and leverage industry capabilities.

//
NIST Solicits Public Comment on Enhancing Semiconductor Supply Chain Security
Published on
NIST Solicits Public Comment on Enhancing Semiconductor Supply Chain Security

The National Institute of Standards and Technology is soliciting public comments on its initial draft of an interagency report summarizing the presentations and discussions on semiconductor supply chain security during a recent NIST workshop.

The insights gathered from the workshop’s participants, which included representatives from government, industry and academia, will inform the development of supply chain standards and cybersecurity guidance, NIST said Wednesday.

The highlights of the report, titled “Enhancing Security of Devices and Components Across the Supply Chain,” include security issues on the hardware development lifecycle and approaches on addressing the concerns.

Among the proposed solutions for vulnerabilities in hardware development are maintaining public-private sector partnerships and adopting more meaningful security metrics.

To develop tighter security standards, the report presented various steps, such as creating metrics based on threat models, vulnerable assets and product lifecycle stages.

In addition, the report emphasized the workshop’s suggestions on securing the manufacturing environment through automated cybersecurity tools and methods.

The deadline for the submission of comments on the draft NIST report is Sept. 16.

/
IARPA’s William Benard Confirmed to Keynote 2024 Intel Summit
Published on
IARPA’s William Benard Confirmed to Keynote 2024 Intel Summit

New technologies and changing geopolitical dynamics have radically transformed the intelligence landscape, and Intelligence Community officials are racing to stay ahead of the competition.

The Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Intel Summit on September 19 will bring together key IC leaders and industry executives to dive into the intricacies of modern intelligence operations and the forces shaping the future of the field. One featured speaker is Dr. William Benard of the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity, a seasoned researcher and intelligence expert who will close out the event with a keynote address. Keep reading for a look into Benard’s career background and scientific endeavors.

William Benard’s Career Background

Benard currently serves as director of IARPA’s Office of Collections. In this role, he leads research programs across a wide range of disciplines, including the science of design, distributed sensing, the design and manufacture of complex products and additive manufacturing as well as semiconductor materials, devices and architectures. He was appointed to the position in May.

Benard has extensive experience in technology research. He most recently served as chief of the Photonics, Electronics and Quantum Sciences Division within the DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory, and he has held a variety of other roles within the agency, including senior campaign scientist for materials research, acting chief of the Electro-Optics and Photonics Division and manager of its Specialty Electronic Materials and Sensors Cleanroom.

He has also conducted research for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. His projects with DARPA covered a wide range of areas, such as inertial sensors, X-ray lithography systems, optical switches, NASA payloads, genomic X-prize efforts and radiation detectors.

Office of Collection Priorities

IARPA’s Office of Collection currently oversees nine research initiatives. Below are three key projects you should know about.

MicroE4AI

The Microelectronics for Artificial Intelligence, or MicroE4AI program, is intended to advance hardware and software algorithm-architecture to elevate the performance of AI and machine learning applications hosted on microelectronic devices.

Through this effort, IARPA hopes to make these algorithms more accessible to edge users by reducing the size of technologies needed for AI/ML tools and increasing cost-effectiveness. To do so, MicroE4AI aims to:

  • Create new materials
  • Boost performance
  • Emphasize compactness and low energy requirements

ELQ

Shortened to ELQ, the Entangled Logical Qubits program seeks to progress science in the area of universal fault-tolerant quantum computing using logical quantum bits. The objective of the project is to present high-fidelity entanglement between error-corrected logical qubits using a modular architecture.

To achieve this goal, IARPA will integrate the properties of quantum coherence and entanglement within an error-corrected environment by creating systems that can encode quantum information in qubits. This approach is expected to improve quantum error correction to prevent degradation of these properties.

EquAL-P

Known as EquAL-P, the Effective Quantitative Antenna Limits for Performance effort serves as a pipeline to progress electrically small antennas, or ESAs, by activating them using non-linear, time varying methods.

Today, radio frequency communication systems operating across long distances require proportionally sized antennas to function. Though smaller antennas are in high demand, using them for these wavelengths can cause performance issues.

These RF systems are typically activated using linear, time-invariant, or LTI ideas, but progress with this approach has slowed. A major goal of EquAL-P is to establish measurements for non-LTI antennas to provide a path for better understanding these techniques.

Hear From Benard at 2024 Intel Summit

Want to know more about what IARPA is up to? At the 2024 Intel Summit, you will get to hear from Benard directly during his keynote speech, in which he will share his insights on relevant IARPA topics. These three research projects are just a preview of the many areas he may discuss, so head over to the Potomac Officers Club website to register for the event and harness the opportunity to learn more.

IARPA’s William Benard Confirmed to Keynote 2024 Intel Summit
/
Laura Berzak Hopkins Appointed to Dual Leadership Role at PPPL
Published on
Laura Berzak Hopkins Appointed to Dual Leadership Role at PPPL

Laura Berzak Hopkins has been selected as the new associate chief laboratory director for strategy and deputy chief research officer of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory.

The PPPL said Monday Berzak Hopkins was appointed to the dual role after serving as associate program director for integrated weapons science at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

Berzak Hopkins is responsible for more than 100 experiments for the National Ignition Facility during her time with LLNL. She also held various positions since joining the laboratory in 2012.

The seasoned national laboratory scientist was the deputy for assessment science to the DOE’s National Nuclear Security Administration Office of Experimental Sciences. She served as chair of the High Density Science laboratory-Directed Research and Development review committee. She was the funding manager for the weapon survivability program and a design physicist in the inertial confinement fusion program.

In addition, Berzak Hopkins was also an action officer to the Integrated Planning Group and a member of the Livermore GuideStar team and Sandia National Laboratories’ Radiation, Electrical and High Energy Density Science Research Foundation External Board Review.

Aside from her role as a leader and experimentalist, Berzak Hopkins also dabbles in science communication. She has given talks at conferences sponsored by the European Physical Society and American Physical Society and at LLNL summer scholars programs.

She taught schoolchildren at Livermore’s Fun With Science program and acted as a tour guide for the NIF. She is also the assistant editor for the quarterly publication of the APS Forum on Physics and Society.

Berzak Hopkins earned a PhD in plasma physics from Princeton University. She also holds bachelor’s degrees in physics and chemistry from Dartmouth University.

/
GSA Unveils 3rd Cohort of 70 Digital Corps Fellows
Published on
GSA Unveils 3rd Cohort of 70 Digital Corps Fellows

The General Services Administration has announced the third cohort of 70 U.S. Digital Corps fellows, who will work on artificial intelligence-related projects and other high-priority technology initiatives at 19 federal agencies over a two-year period.

GSA said Tuesday more than 40 USDC fellows will work on AI-related projects.

“Growing the U.S. Digital Corps is crucial to driving innovation across the federal government, especially as emerging technologies like AI evolve,” said GSA Administrator Robin Carnahan.

“GSA is focused on delivering great value to our customer agencies and the American people, so we are proud to help lead the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts to bring tech talent into government to deliver those results,” added Carnahan.

Six of the 19 agencies are USDC’s new agency partners, including the U.S. Geological Survey, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Internal Revenue Service.

GSA selected the latest cohort of fellows from more than 2,000 applications.

USDC welcomed the first cohort of fellows in June 2022.

In July 2023, GSA announced the second cohort of 48 early-career technologists to USDC.

Click here to see the full list of 2024 USDC fellows.

//
ISS Cold Atom Lab Demos Quantum Tech’s Potential Space Applications
Published on
ISS Cold Atom Lab Demos Quantum Tech’s Potential Space Applications

NASA’s science team has deployed a new quantum-based tool at the International Space Station’s Cold Atom Lab to measure forces such as gravity and magnetic fields that could support advancing technologies for aircraft and shift navigation.

Called an atom interferometer, the sensor measured subtle ISS vibrations for the team’s study that also recorded the longest demonstration of atoms’ wave-like nature in space freefall, NASA said.

Other potential uses of space-based gravity sensors include uncovering the composition and surface mass changes of planets and moons, the agency added.

Precise gravity measurements can also help unlock the cosmological puzzles of dark matter and dark energy, according to NASA.

The agency launched the Cold Atom Lab in 2018 to advance quantum science in a long-term facility operating in low Earth orbit’s microgravity environment.

The lab can cool atoms at low temperature levels that make them macroscopic and easier to study through quantum technology approaches.

The Biological and Physical Sciences division of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington sponsored the lab, which was designed and built by JPL, a Caltech division in Pasadena, California.

/
NASA Holds Competition for Cryogenic-Based Human Landing Systems for Future Space Missions
Published on
NASA Holds Competition for Cryogenic-Based Human Landing Systems for Future Space Missions

NASA recently launched the 2025 Human Lander Challenge, or HuLC, a competition aimed at leveraging cryogenic liquid storage in human landing systems for future space missions beyond low Earth orbit.

The government agency said Tuesday college and university students are now welcome to submit ideas for supercold or cryogenic propellant applications that can be utilized for human landing systems.

Through the HuLC, NASA is looking for ways to use in-space cryogenic liquid storage and transfer systems for long-duration missions. The main goal of the Human Landing System Program-sponsored competition is to develop innovations that will help future space missions bring astronauts to the moon and eventually to Mars.

The Artemis mission aims to send the first woman, first person of color and first international partner astronaut to the moon. By utilizing a commercial human landing system, these astronauts can safely reach the surface of the moon and begin long-term exploration and science opportunities.

HuLC participants will need to submit a non-binding Notice of Intent on or before Oct. 6, 2024. They then have until March 3, 2025 to submit a proposal package.

A maximum of 12 proposals will be chosen with each team receiving $9,250 that they can use to develop their concepts further. Three teams will be chosen during the 2025 HuLC Forum, which will be held in Huntsville, Alabama in June 2025. They will share the prize money of $18,000.

Proposals should revolve around the following categories:

  • On-Orbit Cryogenic Propellant Transfer
  • Microgravity Mass Tracking of Cryogenics
  • Large Surface Area Radiative Insulation
  • Advanced Structural Supports for Heat Reduction
  • Automated Cryo-Couplers for Propellant Transfer
  • Low Leakage Cryogenic Components

Aerospace engineer Esther Lee, who leads the navigation sensors technology assessment capability team at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, said the HuLC competition provides Artemis Generation engineers and scientists an opportunity to contribute to advancements in space technology.

“NASA’s Human Lander Challenge is more than just a competition – it is a collaborative effort to bridge the gap between academic innovation and practical space technology,” said Lee. “By involving students in the early stages of technology development, NASA aims to foster a new generation of aerospace professionals and innovators.”

/
Virginia-Class Fast-Attack Submarine USS Idaho Launches Into Thames River
Published on
Virginia-Class Fast-Attack Submarine USS Idaho Launches Into Thames River

General Dynamics Electric Boat on Aug. 6 launched the future USS Idaho into the Thames River in Connecticut, performing a vessel construction milestone known as a “float off” — when a vessel is, for the first time, moved from a shipbuilder’s facilities into water.

A Virginia-class fast-attack nuclear submarine, the Idaho will provide the U.S. Navy with a variety of undersea supremacy capabilities, including enhanced stealth, surveillance features and special warfare enhancements, according to a news article posted Tuesday on the Naval Sea Systems Command website.

Virginia-class submarines also feature the use of modular construction, open architecture and commercial off-the-shelf components.

Commenting on the float off, Virginia Class Submarine Program Manager Capt. Mike Hollenbach said, “Today’s launch is testament to the strong collaboration the Navy has with its shipbuilding partners.”

“Idaho will be a valuable national asset and source of pride for our Sailors, the shipbuilders and all Americans for years to come,” Hollenbach added.

Float offs are followed by a vessel’s outfitting, testing and crew certification.

Virginia-Class Fast-Attack Submarine USS Idaho Launches Into Thames River

Naval leaders, experts and innovators from government and industry will discuss how they’re enhancing maritime security, driving technological advancements and fostering strategic cooperation during the Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Navy Summit, which will take place on Aug. 15. Register now to attend this important event!

/
NIST Issues 3 Post-Quantum Encryption Standards, Algorithms
Published on
NIST Issues 3 Post-Quantum Encryption Standards, Algorithms

The National Institute of Standards and Technology has released the first three finalized post-quantum cryptography standards and encryption algorithms designed to protect encrypted data from cyberattacks that could be carried out through the use of quantum computers.

NIST said Tuesday the three Federal Information Processing Standards contain information on the encryption algorithms’ computer code and their intended uses.

“These finalized standards include instructions for incorporating them into products and encryption systems,” said Dustin Moody, a NIST mathematician and head of the PQC standardization project. “We encourage system administrators to start integrating them into their systems immediately, because full integration will take time.”

FIPS 203 will serve as the primary standard for general encryption and is based on Module-Lattice-Based Key-Encapsulation Mechanism, or ML-KEM, formerly CRYSTALS-Kyber algorithm.

FIPS 204 will be the primary standard for safeguarding digital signatures and uses Module-Lattice-Based Digital Signature Algorithm, or ML-DSA, formerly CRYSTALS-Dilithium.

FIPS 205 will also serve as the standard for digital signatures and uses the Sphincs+ algorithm, which has been renamed Stateless Hash-Based Digital Signature Algorithm, or SLH-DSA. This will be used as a backup method in the event that ML-DSA proves vulnerable.

Moody called on organizations to begin using the three standards.

“We need to be prepared in case of an attack that defeats the algorithms in these three standards, and we will continue working on backup plans to keep our data safe. But for most applications, these new standards are the main event,” he noted.

1 … 239 240 241 242 243 … 2,626