[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 125 (Friday, July 2, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35367-35368]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[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, [email protected].

[[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 https://nsfedaworkshop.nd.edu/assets/429148/nsf20_foundry_meeting_report.pdf. 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:
     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;
     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 https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CISERFIonSemiconductorResearchandEducation.

(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