The Commerce Department’s Tech Hubs program could lead to the development of tools eventually bought by the federal government, officials said.

The director of the National Science Foundation and chair emeritus of the National Science Board emphasized the need for funding in the wake of appropriations cuts.

The roadmap for artificial intelligence policy encourages the executive branch and appropriators to support $32 billion in annual innovation funding.

The CHIPS Research and Development Office announced an open competition that will result in a Manufacturing USA Institute focused on semiconductor manufacturing.

Sources tell FedScoop that the Washington Democrat will introduce a series of bipartisan bills related to artificial intelligence issues in the coming weeks.

NSF is establishing a new Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) to consolidate resources as part of the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022.

The tech hubs are in cities from Baltimore, Maryland, to Birmingham, Alabama, and beyond, with a focus on semiconductors, biotechnology, artificial intelligence and quantum computing.

The National Semiconductor Technology Center, expected to launch this fall, is a key component of the CHIPS Act that focused on promoting semiconductor manufacturing.

The National Semiconductor Technology Center would be key for semiconductor research and development and could be important for emerging technologies like AI, Commerce’s top official said.

While working at the software giant, Lewis developed a partnership with the Pentagon to secure a domestic supply of advanced semiconductors.