Two-day microelectronics defense meeting kicks off in Indy

Government, industry and academic leaders are convening in Indianapolis early this week for the Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division Microelectronics Integrity Meeting to discuss trending topics in the industry and how stakeholders can find solutions for their defense partners.

More than 500 attendees will meet on Monday and Tuesday at the Indianapolis Marriott Downtown for the meeting’s eighth edition.

The theme is “Securing today’s investment for tomorrow’s advantage,” which hones in on a larger trend encouraged by the federal government to capitalize on investments to ensure the country is up to speed with and has an advantage over its foreign competitors.

Shana Goodman, the division manager for NSWC Crane’s strategic microelectronics division, said it’s important that the Department of Defense brings industry stakeholders in academia and the private sector together so all can benefit from increased collaboration that results in a national security advantage.

“At the Department of Defense, we really have to focus on partnerships with industry and academia in order to be successful and make sure that we can get the advantage,” she said.

The CHIPS and Science Act is a catalyst for several of these conversations, Goodman said. That includes the federal technology and innovation hub program, which awarded $238 million in funding. Indiana is home to the Silicon Crossroads Microelectronic Commons Hub, but officials from all eight hubs will be in Indianapolis for the meeting. (CHIPS stands for Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors and Science.)

The event will host a keynote address and several panels focused on emerging and pertinent topics in the field. For example, Goodman said some panel topics include conversations on counterfeit part dangers, verification and qualification of advanced packaging, and the CHIPS Act.

“It’s a basic technology that you need to do anything right, so everyone has a lot of interest,” Goodman said. “It’s really easy is easy to get people excited and want to host panels and want to come speak and want to be a part of this meeting just because it’s critical to everyone.”