The Biden administration made its first CHIPS Act investment in a woman-owned chipmaker

Rogue Valley Microdevices will receive up to $6.7 million in proposed direct funding under the CHIPS and Science Act — an effort by the U.S. to bring chipmaking dominance back to the U.S. The funding will support the construction of a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) and sensor foundry in Palm Bay, Florida, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. The company’s manufacturing capacity is expected to nearly triple due to the investment, and the foundry will create over 75 jobs in Florida.

“We’re really excited about the opportunity,” Rogue Valley Microdevices chief executive Jessica Gomez told Quartz. “Getting CHIPS funding for our project really means a lot to our ability to do this project quickly and get up and running so that we can continue to support our customers and their targets and growth strategy.”

RVM is a pure play MEMS foundry, which means it works with companies which have a design and need a manufacturing partner to make a functional chip. MEMS are “tiny, miniaturized systems that have moveable parts,” Gomez said. For example, the sensor in a phone that determines the orientation of the screen depending on how the phone is being held is a MEMS device — and would be manufactured at a MEMS foundry.

The company is one of the only U.S.-based pure play MEMS foundries, and the funding will help RVM’s customers get to market faster, Gomez said.

Unlike other CHIPS Act recipients, RVM does not focus on artificial intelligence chips, and works more with biotech companies developing sensors, including those used for cancer diagnostics. The company also works with defense industry companies.

“The types of sensors and MEMS devices that are in your cell phone are also used for some of the military systems out there,” Gomez said, such as navigation and LiDAR technology. “It is very important that that manufacturing capacity is kept in the United States. This is a really big step towards making sure that happens.”

The first wafers, or the semiconductor material that serves as a base for chips, produced at the new foundry are expected to ship in early 2025, while the facility is expected to be completed by mid-2025, the Commerce Department said. The facility will be the first time a MEMS foundry is offering manufacturing on the 300mm wafer, Gomez said, which is the largest size being used to manufacture chips on.

“The proposed investment in RVM is another example of how the Biden-Harris Administration is making targeted investments across the semiconductor supply chain to reignite U.S. leadership in semiconductor manufacturing,” secretary of commerce Gina Raimondo said in a statement. “Because of President Biden’s CHIPS and Science Act, we are working to secure U.S.-based companies a stable, domestic supply of MEMS technology when demand is increasing across the globe.”