Vermont’s Tech Hub receives $23.7 million from U.S. EDA: What’s next

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Vermont’s Tech Hub receives .7 million from U.S. EDA: What’s next
  • The University of Vermont received $23.7 million to create a technology hub focused on gallium nitride (GaN).
  • The funding will be used to create a “comprehensive technology ecosystem” that will support the development and manufacturing of GaN semiconductors.
  • The tech hub is expected to train more than 500 new employees for semiconductor production and engage more than 6,000 K-12 students across Vermont in STEM participation over the next five years.
  • The hub will also provide grant funding to businesses owned by underserved and underrepresented populations in the semiconductor industry.

Vermont’s Gallium Nitride (V-GaN) Tech Hub, one of only 31 tech hubs in the country, was awarded $23.7 million in federal money from the U.S. Economic Development Administration. It’s the largest research award in University of Vermont history.

The Tech Hub, a consortium led by UVM and including GlobalFoundries and the State of Vermont, is focused on gallium nitride (GaN), an innovative material that promises better performing chips than those made from traditional silicon for a range of industries, from electric vehicles to medical imaging equipment and consumer electronics.

The GlobalFoundries semiconductor plant in Essex Junction, formerly IBM, has been working with GaN in two areas: power converters and RF (radio frequency) communications.

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