The Center for a Secure Microelectronics Ecosystem (CSME) is a public-private-academic partnership that aims to address key challenges in securing the microelectronics supply chain. Microelectronics is a critical enabler to large parts of the US economy and is of strategic importance to defense and national security. On the other hand, the design and manufacturing of a modern integrated circuit (IC) often involves dozens of entities spread across the globe, making it a critical challenge to ensure security and trustworthiness of the resulting ICs and the systems that they are deployed into. 

 

With the natural synergy among commercial institutions to be part of a microelectronics supply chain and with the U.S. government strengthening e.g. through the CHIPS for America Act the U.S. economy and national security, the question is: “What is the role of academia in a Secure Microelectronic Ecosystem?” 

 

CSME defines the academic contribution as twofold. On one hand, graduate students will be trained to work on scientific questions of relevance to a secure microelectronics supply chain assuming a zero-trust model, contributing to the development of a future workforce that is ready to address the challenges of designing secure microelectronics. On the other hand, critical research that can typically not be addressed in industry or government-only settings will be part of the CSME research endeavor. To ensure that the center leverages leading academic talent to achieve impact, CSME brings together multiple academic institutions across the U.S. to collaboratively pursue common research goals. A governing council and technical steering committee, consisting of members from industry and the U.S. government, will oversee and shape the center’s research efforts. The unique consortium model adopted by CSME is a promising approach to deliver solutions to complex problems that go beyond the typical research efforts in a university setting and is essential to address the topic of a Secure Microelectronic Ecosystem.