DOD is awarding a total of $238 million to eight partnerships in seven states to help boost the semiconductor-industrial base in the U.S., C4ISRNET reported.

“The regional hubs will spur economic growth, not just locally but more broadly,” Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks said. “The hubs will help ensure we have the talent pool needed to stay ahead through education pipelines and retraining initiatives.”

It will also reduce reliance on foreign vendors, she said.

According to the report, the hubs’ locations will be in:

• Arizona, led by Arizona State University
• Northern California, led by Stanford University and the University of California Berkeley
• Southern California, led by the University of Southern California
• Indiana, led by the Applied Research Institute
• New York, led by the State University of New York Polytechnic Institute
• North Carolina, led by North Carolina State University
• Massachusetts, led by the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative
• Ohio, led by the Midwest Microelectronics Consortium

C4ISRNET illustration by William Potter