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SemiUS, Commerce Department Finalize Agreement for National Semiconductor Technology Center
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SemiUS, Commerce Department Finalize Agreement for National Semiconductor Technology Center

Nonprofit organization SemiUS has finalized an agreement with the Department of Commerce to operate a new research and development center focused on advancing the U.S. semiconductor sector.

The agreement sets the foundation for the National Semiconductor Technology Center’s initial operations and paves the way for the long-term execution of the CHIPS for America Act’s vision and strategy for the NSTC, the National Institute of Standards and Technology said Thursday.

“Today’s announcement is an important milestone in Commerce’s work to stand up the NSTC and is going to ensure the U.S. leads the way in the next generation of semiconductor technologies and empowers the current and future generation of scientists, engineers, and innovators,” said Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.

The deal follows the appointment of seven members to the board of trustees for SemiUS.

NSTC will operate as a public-private consortium dedicated to accelerating the domestic production of semiconductor technology in the U.S.

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Lisa Costa: Space Force Working on Standards for Digital Twins
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Lisa Costa: Space Force Working on Standards for Digital Twins

Lisa Costa, chief technology and innovation officer of the U.S. Space Force, said the service branch is developing standards for digital twins in addition to its work on a new digital modeling strategy, Federal News Network reported Wednesday.

“You would think with the use of digital twins by very large sectors of different industries that there would be commercial standards out there, but there’s not,” Costa said at an event on Wednesday.

“They’re very bespoke, so we’re working toward at least an open standard where we can start to move models from concept. For example, from the Space Warfighter Analysis Center (SWAC), which does mission design, moving that over to our acquisition elements that do costing and analyses of alternatives and then moving that into our operational environment,” she added.

Costa, a previous Wash100 awardee, cited the need for the service branch to utilize its Supra Coders and the importance of upskilling among the Guardians.

“So, making a digital service is all about being fast. And having an organizational structure that allows innovation at the edge, bring that innovation into the enterprise, and then push out more capability to do that,” she noted.

She also talked about the Space Force’s efforts to recruit and retain personnel as well as the service’s data management initiatives.

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NSA, CISA Issue Best Practice Guidelines for Software Bills of Materials
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NSA, CISA Issue Best Practice Guidelines for Software Bills of Materials

The National Security Agency and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency led the publication of guidelines to help players in the software supply chain manage their bill of materials.

The new cybersecurity technical report was formulated by the public-private Enduring Security Framework Software Supply Chain Working Group, which are overseen by the security agencies, NSA said Thursday.

The document includes best practices in operationalizing and scaling the use of software BOMs, supply chain risk scoring and automated sharing and exchanging of SBOMs. It is expected to improve communication throughout the hierarchy of cybersecurity teams to increase software resilience from development to end use.

“Fundamentally, SBOM provides critical software transparency for improved patch and vulnerability management for customers as well as potentially mitigate supply chain risks,” said Jorge Laurel, chief of NSA’s Enduring Security Framework.

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State Department Releases Inaugural Enterprise AI Strategy
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State Department Releases Inaugural Enterprise AI Strategy

The State Department has issued an enterprise strategy to guide the responsible and ethical development, procurement and application of artificial intelligence to advance U.S. diplomacy and foreign policy.

The department said Thursday the inaugural Enterprise AI Strategy outlines four strategic goals to harness AI capabilities: leverage secure AI infrastructure; foster a culture that embraces AI technology; ensure AI is applied responsibly; and innovate.

For the first strategic goal, the State Department will integrate AI technologies into a secure and sustainable AI-enabling infrastructure to establish and scale a variety of AI applications.

Specific objectives under this goal are enabling AI technology integration, fully utilizing infrastructure for AI adoption at department scale and modernizing acquisition of AI tools.

To advance the acquisition modernization objective, the department’s information technology procurement authorities will work with other government officials to streamline the approval and procurement processes for AI tools, such as looking at the IT procurement pipeline to identify efficiencies and maintain safeguards included in approval mechanisms such as the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program and Authorization to Operate process.

“Prior to their acquisition, AI technologies will be evaluated against security protocols and risk assessment processes. The Department’s procurement and open-source approval processes will be further developed to enable flexibility and streamlined deployment of AI,” the strategy states.

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NASA Introduces Subscription-Free Streaming Service
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NASA Introduces Subscription-Free Streaming Service

NASA+, the space agency’s on-demand streaming service, is now available on the updated NASA app, which can be downloaded via Android or iOS.

NASA said Wednesday that the streaming service, which is ad-free and requires no subscription, is also accessible via Roku, Apple TV and the agency’s website.

NASA+ features original programming like documentaries, children’s shows, series and live event coverage. The NASA app itself also hosts a multimedia collection that includes images, podcasts, news and various articles.

The launch of NASA+ and the updates to the NASA app are part of the agency’s efforts to increase public accessibility and discoverability of its content. Earlier this year, the agency underwent a website redesign.

Marc Etkind, associate administrator for communications at NASA, said, “NASA’s new streaming platform and app are where the world can join us as we explore the unknown.”

He added that the digital platforms will grant everyone 24/7 access to “some of humanity’s greatest stories”.

For her part, NASA deputy administrator and Wash100 winner Pamela Melroy said, “I am excited we have created a powerful trifecta with the recently revamped NASA website, the launch of NASA+, and the updated NASA App that showcases the many benefits our data can have for all humanity.”

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3rd Joint Polar Satellite System Spacecraft Now Operational
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3rd Joint Polar Satellite System Spacecraft Now Operational

The NOAA-21 satellite is now operational, joining the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership satellite and NOAA-20 as part of the Joint Polar Satellite System.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Wednesday that NOAA-21 will help improve the agency’s weather forecasts by providing global data for the numerical weather prediction models of the National Weather Service.

The spacecraft will also work to detect wildfires, volcanic eruptions, fog and Arctic sea ice with the use of its Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite payload.

NOAA-21 is the third of five planned satellites for JPSS. The program’s spacecraft are designed to have an operational lifespan of seven years.

The JPSS program is funded by NOAA.

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DOE Seeks Disruptive Energy Concepts Through ARPA-E’s SPARKS Program
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DOE Seeks Disruptive Energy Concepts Through ARPA-E’s SPARKS Program

The Department of Energy will support the development of innovative energy concepts that could foster the adoption of clean energy platforms, increase energy independence and improve the country’s economic and energy security through a new funding opportunity.

The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy said Tuesday it will manage the Spurring Projects to Advance energy Research and Knowledge Swiftly, or SPARKS, program and provide up to $10 million in funding over a period of 18 months to explore new concepts that could potentially lead to transformational changes in energy technology.

The SPARKS program will support projects in the form of exploratory research or analyses that could deliver the agency information able to advance the development of focused technology initiatives.

ARPA-E provided a list of key technical categories that applicants can use to classify their proposed technologies: grid; transportation; buildings and construction; electricity generation and storage; carbon capture, sequestration and utilization; industrial efficiency and decarbonization; and other energy technologies.

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DOD, Indian Counterpart Participate in Investor Strategy Session to Drive Defense Innovation
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DOD, Indian Counterpart Participate in Investor Strategy Session to Drive Defense Innovation

The U.S. Department of Defense and India’s defense ministry took part in the India-U.S. Defense Acceleration Ecosystem’s (also known as INDUS-X) inaugural investor strategy session to discuss the need to leverage private capital in support of defense startups and innovation efforts.

Douglas Beck, director of the Defense Innovation Unit and senior adviser to the U.S. secretary of defense, joined Vivek Virmani, chief operating officer of the Innovations for Defence Excellence, or iDEX, during the INDUS-X investor session to talk about the importance of equipping the armed forces of the U.S. and India with the capabilities they need to defend the Indo-Pacific region.

During the event, DIU and iDEX launched a monthly education series to enable government and private sector leaders to meet with startups from both countries to discuss investor pitches, technology and business development and regulations.

Through the INDUS-X Gurukul Education Series, DIU and iDEX will inform startups of opportunities and programs under the defense acceleration ecosystem and other areas of interest included in the INDUS-X fact sheet and the U.S.-India initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology.

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CBO Debuts Updated Interactive Force Structure Tool
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CBO Debuts Updated Interactive Force Structure Tool

The Congressional Budget Office has released its updated online tool designed to help users see the effects of a potential increase or decline in the annual defense budget on the size and structure of the U.S. military.

The new version of the CBO’s interactive force structure tool comes with updated costs and numbers of personnel as outlined in the Department of Defense’s budget request for 2024, the agency said Wednesday.

According to the CBO, the tool provides users information on major combat units that comprise the armed forces.

The agency said users can visualize how a change to the number of special forces or ships would affect defense spending.

With the updated interactive tool, the CBO has separated the U.S. Army’s field artillery brigades from air defense brigades and the U.S. Navy’s amphibious assault ships from other amphibious vessels to enable users to analyze possible changes to the armed forces and explore policy alternatives.

HII Opens Norfolk Campus for Newport News Shipbuilding
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HII Opens Norfolk Campus for Newport News Shipbuilding

HII held an event on Nov. 6 marking the opening of a new site in Norfolk, Virginia, to be used in support of its Newport News Shipbuilding business.

HII said Wednesday that the opening of the Newport News Shipbuilding Norfolk Campus was attended by company, U.S. Navy and city officials and the leadership of Fairlead, which leased the property for the new NNS site.

Though its opening took place only recently, the Newport News Shipbuilding Norfolk Campus has been in operation for several months, producing steel panels for the upcoming Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier USS Enterprise.

The Norfolk campus is also expected to benefit NNS’ Newport News shipyard, freeing up space for other operations like submarine construction.

The new campus is the result of investment by HII and funding by the Navy. Program Executive Officer for Aircraft Carriers Rear Adm. Casey Moton said during the opening ceremony that the facility demonstrates “what can be accomplished when the Navy-industry team comes together.”

Les Smith, vice president for the Enterprise, Doris Miller and future aircraft carrier programs at NNS, said the new facility “is a prime example of how we’re innovating, thinking differently and improving efficiency when it comes to building the aircraft carriers our nation needs.”

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