President Biden signed the bipartisan Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) Act of 2022 to tackle some of the biggest manufacturing and innovation challenges of our time. The act will invest $50 billion through the Department of Commerce’s CHIPS for America Fund to revitalize the domestic semiconductor industry, protect American national and economic security, preserve U.S. leadership in the industries of the future, create good-paying jobs and build strong communities here in the United States.

On Feb. 28, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) launched the first CHIPS for America notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) for manufacturing incentives intended to restore U.S. leadership in semiconductor manufacturing. Commerce will also be releasing a funding opportunity for semiconductor materials and equipment facilities in the late spring, and one for research and development facilities in the fall—along with updates and releases from the R&D program, which is a longer-term investment that will create a dynamic new network of innovation for the U.S. semiconductor ecosystem.

NCSL is hosting a briefing with the CHIPS Program Office on Wednesday, June 28 at 3 p.m. EDT. During this briefing, state legislators and staff will hear from Commerce officials who will describe the CHIPS programs and answer questions about how states and territories can participate in the programs and help support applications.