(The Center Square) – Another semiconductor facility is being built in Texas, this time, a quantum-enhanced semiconductor metrology facility at the University of Texas-Austin.
A $4.8 million, taxpayer-funded Texas Semiconductor Innovation Fund grant has been awarded to the Texas Quantum Institute at The University of Texas-Austin to build a QLab metrology facility. The institute is part of UT’s Chandra Family Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
“Texas is the new frontier of innovation and UT Austin is where world-changing discoveries in quantum research and development are being made,” Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement. “Through this TSIF grant, QLab will acquire state-of-the-art instrumentation that will be used to advance semiconductor manufacturing in Texas by leveraging new developments in quantum science and technology. Texas will continue to lead the nation with quantum leaps into the future.”
The new QLab metrology facility will support the semiconductor and emerging quantum industries in Texas as well as academic research in metrology. Metrology is the science of measurement and its applications at the atom and molecular level and critical to semiconductor manufacturing.
“Quantum mechanics might not help you shrink like Ant-Man, but it’s revolutionizing science and technology in ways that are transforming our world,” the TQI says. The TQI “is leading the charge in quantum research, uniting experts across disciplines to push the boundaries of what’s possible,” it says.
“The Texas Quantum Institute is grateful for the continued support of the State of Texas and UT Austin,” TQI Co-director Elaine Li said. “Metrology has been identified by the U.S. Department of Commerce as the key enabling technology for the semiconductor industry. This investment from the TSIF will empower UT Austin to advance metrology tools that can be applied to address critical challenges in the semiconductor industry.”
The TQI will manage the lab in collaboration with UT Austin’s Microelectronic Research Center, Texas Institute for Electronics and Texas Materials Institute.
“This investment gives us tremendous momentum to advance quantum-enhanced semiconductor metrology, driving breakthroughs that will shape the future of both the semiconductor and quantum industries,” TQI Co-director Xiuling Li said.
The new facility at UT is the latest expansion of semiconductor technological advancement in Texas through the TSIF grant. In September, a TSIF grant was awarded to Yerico Manufacturing Inc. to expand operations in Elgin, The Center Square reported.
The grant is an outworking of Abbott prioritizing Texas leading the U.S. in chip manufacturing when supply chain shortages and backlogs began under the Biden administration. In 2023, the state legislature passed Texas’ CHIPS Act, which created a new Texas CHIPS Office, the TISF fund and grant, and the Texas Semiconductor Innovation Consortium, The Center Square reported.
Prior to the Texas CHIPS Act, Texas already ranked first in the country for semiconductor manufacturing. Abbott maintains the Texas CHIPS Act and ongoing investments in the semiconductor industry “encourage semiconductor-related companies to expand in the state, further develop the expertise and capacity of Texas institutions of higher education, and maintain the state’s position as the nation’s leader in semiconductor manufacturing.”
Through the Texas CHIPS Act, nearly $700 million worth of taxpayer-funded grants is being awarded through the TSIF. Through it, many grants have been awarded to companies with multi-billion-dollar valuations, including Samsung, a Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company subsidiary, among others, The Center Square reported.
