Notice2021-14159
Request for Information; National Science Foundation's Directorate for Computer Information Science and Engineering
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
July 2, 2021
Issuing agencies
National Science Foundation
Abstract
Semiconductor-related research, including underlying supply- chain, business, and economic impacts, are increasingly important to the Nation's long-term competitiveness and security. Through this Request for Information (RFI), the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Directorate for Computer Information Science and Engineering (CISE) seeks input from those who are directly engaged in, or might potentially benefit from, CISE-related research and education in semiconductor and micro- and nano-electronics.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 125 (Friday, July 2, 2021)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 125 (Friday, July 2, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35367-35368]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2021-14159]
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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Request for Information; National Science Foundation's
Directorate for Computer Information Science and Engineering
AGENCY: National Science Foundation.
ACTION: Request for information.
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SUMMARY: Semiconductor-related research, including underlying supply-
chain, business, and economic impacts, are increasingly important to
the Nation's long-term competitiveness and security. Through this
Request for Information (RFI), the National Science Foundation's (NSF)
Directorate for Computer Information Science and Engineering (CISE)
seeks input from those who are directly engaged in, or might
potentially benefit from, CISE-related research and education in
semiconductor and micro- and nano-electronics.
DATES: Please send comments on or before September 30, 2021. Comments
received after that date will be considered to the extent practicable.
Send comments to the address below.
ADDRESSES: Submit comments to Sankar Basu or Erik Brunvand, Program
Directors, <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#e2a1abb1a7bdb1878f8bb5a5a28c9184cc858d94"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="2a6963796f75794f47437d6d6a44594c044d455c">[email protected]</span></a>.
[[Page 35368]]
National Science Foundation, 2415 Eisenhower Avenue, Suite E10241,
Alexandria, Virginia 22314. Individuals who use a telecommunications
device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay
Service (FIRS) at 1.800.877.8339, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365
days a year (including Federal holidays).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The computing stack has traditionally been
viewed as a hierarchy of layers with devices and circuits comprising
the lowest layers, and architectures, software, algorithms, and
applications constituting progressively higher layers. Lower layers of
the stack (e.g., devices, circuits, architectures) more directly
involve semiconductor technologies to the extent that researchers may
interact with large-scale fabrication facilities, but all levels of the
stack are influenced by microelectronic advances to varying degrees.
Thus, although in its entirety CISE research may not directly involve
research on semiconductors, per se, the entire computing stack, from
circuit design to architectures and on to software and applications
such as sensor networks including the Internet of Things (IoT),
embedded computing, next-generation wireless systems, large-scale data
analytics, AI, edge and cloud computing, and high-performance
computing, heavily depends on advances in this space.
As a result, much of the CISE directorate's portfolio is dependent
upon advances in semiconductor technologies. For one example,
tomorrow's artificial intelligence (AI) innovations offer
transformative societal impacts, but require advanced hardware
capabilities that leverage newer semiconductor technologies.
Conversely, the hardware design problem is a large multi-objective,
multiscale optimization problem that stands to benefit from the
application of modern AI techniques.
Invitation to Comment: NSF invites comments from the public who are
directly engaged in, or might potentially benefit from, CISE-related
research and education in semiconductor and micro- and nano-
electronics.
1.0 Background
On December 14-20, 2020, CISE funded a workshop focusing on the
lowest levels of the computing stack. This workshop considered the
scientific frontiers for semiconductor and microelectronics
technologies as well as the needs for access to semiconductor foundries
(for details, see the workshop report at <a href="https://nsfedaworkshop.nd.edu/assets/429148/nsf20_foundry_meeting_report.pdf">https://nsfedaworkshop.nd.edu/assets/429148/nsf20_foundry_meeting_report.pdf</a>. Building upon that
workshop and report, and given the diverse interests of the CISE
directorate and community, the intent of this RFI is broader.
Specifically, NSF/CISE seeks to:
<bullet> Gauge the extent to which the community's research and
educational agenda are handicapped, e.g., by unavailability of past or
future resources. By this, NSF/CISE asks that respondents not restrict
their answers to issues related to funding, but rather also consider
issues related to infrastructure, facilities, access to tools/
intellectual property/data, legal issues, etc., that support their
research and educational agenda in the broader area of semiconductors;
<bullet> Understand what specific activities the research community
would pursue and how that activity would impact societal and national
interests, if the impediments mentioned in the first category above are
removed. NSF/CISE asks respondents to be specific in making projections
about new technologies potentially enabled by advances in semiconductor
and microelectronics technologies within the 5-, 10-, or 15-year
horizons, or longer.
2.0 Request for Information
This RFI is issued solely for information-gathering purposes. NSF/
CISE's intent is to analyze the responses received from this RFI for
internal needs and for potentially formulating future programmatics.
NSF/CISE may make anonymized versions of the responses available for
public consumption. This RFI does not constitute a formal solicitation
for proposals. To respond to this RFI, please use the official
submission form available at <a href="https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CISERFIonSemiconductorResearchandEducation">https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CISERFIonSemiconductorResearchandEducation</a>.
(Authority: 42 U.S.C. 1861.)
Dated: June 28, 2021.
Suzanne H. Plimpton,
Reports Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation.
[FR Doc. 2021-14159 Filed 7-1-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-P
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