Rabia Yazicigil (ECE, BME) Advances American Wireless Communications with $6M Northeast Microelectronics Hub Grant

by Margaret Stanton, CISE Staff

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed major weaknesses in the U.S. semiconductor supply chain. By 2020, the U.S. produced just 10% of the world’s semiconductors—down from 37% in 1990. In response, the 2022 CHIPS and Science Act was passed to boost R&D and revive domestic manufacturing, with a goal of increasing U.S. production to nearly 30%.

Semiconductors are vital to U.S. economic growth, national security, and global competitiveness, driving bipartisan support for the 2022 CHIPS and Science Act. The legislation aims to boost R&D and revitalize domestic chip manufacturing to strengthen America’s technological edge.

As part of this effort, BU Assistant Professor Rabia Yazicigil (ENG; ECE, BME), a faculty affiliate of the BU Center for Information & Systems Engineering (CISE) and the Hariri Institute, is helping to advance U.S. wireless technology through a $6M grant awarded by the Northeast Microelectronics Coalition Hub (NEMC), a regional center launched under the CHIPS Act.

In collaboration with researchers from MIT, Northeastern, and UMass Lowell, and industry partners including Sivers Semiconductors, Ericsson, Northrop Grumman, and Raytheon Technologies, Yazicigil is working to develop energy-efficient, next-generation chips for wireless systems. The project targets applications in IoT, autonomous vehicles, AI, and mobile networks, supporting the evolution of high-speed, low-latency 5G and 6G communications. The initiative may receive continued funding for up to three years to drive further innovation.

Learn more about this project in this CISE story.