The Washington State Commerce Department recently announced a new working group- members of which will coordinate a comprehensive, statewide approach to securing current and future grant opportunities through the CHIPS and Science Act. The group, sparked by a directive from Gov. Jay Inslee last month, includes leaders from universities, research institutions, technology companies, government, and one of the state’s Centers of Excellence.
Appointed to the CHIPS and Science Act working group are many of the state’s leaders in the semiconductor industry, including:
- Dr. Maria Huffman, Director of University of Washington’s Washington Nanofab Facility
- Dr. Partha Pande, Interim Dean, Washington State University’s Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture
- Carl Douglas, Executive Director, Semiconductor & Electronics Manufacturing Center of Excellence (SEMCE)
- Rob Ogburn, Executive Director, Central Washington University’s Business & Community Services
- David Wise, Vice President, Heritage University
- Dr. James Ang, Chief Scientist for Computing, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
- Andrew Sloss, Vice President of Technology, Vaire Computing
- Jennifer Baker, President and CEO of the Columbia River Economic Development Council
- Geoff Potter, Deputy Director of Federal Affairs, Office of the Governor
- Carol Albert, Senior Advisor for Federal Funding, Office of the Governor
- Representative Cindy Ryu, Chair of the House Technology, Economic Development and Veterans Committee
The bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act, passed in 2022, aimed to infuse $52 billion into the domestic semiconductor industry to keep the U.S. competitive with countries such as China and other rivals. U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, from Washington state, helped pass the legislation.
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