Title 50 — War and National DefenseRelease 119-73

§3334i Seedling investment in next-generation microelectronics in support of artificial intelligence

Title 50 › Chapter CHAPTER 45— - MISCELLANEOUS INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY AUTHORITIES › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER II— - PERSONNEL AND ADMINISTRATIVE AUTHORITIES › § 3334i

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Director of National Intelligence, through IARPA, must give contracts, grants, or other agreements to support microelectronics research for artificial intelligence. Congress finds that faster, more energy‑efficient, and more resilient computing matters for U.S. security and AI leadership, and that teams from different fields designing chips together will help keep the United States ahead. Funding can be used for advanced engineering and applied research into new computing models, materials, devices, architectures, and algorithms for AI/ML; work to overcome physical limits on transistors, wiring, and memory; and broader long‑term, cross‑field R&D. The Director can also fund other activities that help microelectronics research. Total awards cannot exceed $15,000,000.

Full Legal Text

Title 50, §3334i

War and National Defense — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Congress finds that—

(1)developing faster, more energy efficient, and more resilient computing is important to the future of the national security of the United States and the leadership by the United States in artificial intelligence; and

(2)multidisciplinary teams co-designing microelectronics for artificial intelligence will lead to unprecedented capabilities that will help ensure that the United States maintains its superiority in this worldwide competition for economic and national security.

(b)The Director of National Intelligence, acting through the Director of the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity, shall award contracts or grants, or enter into transactions other than contracts, to encourage microelectronics research.

(c)The Director shall award contracts or grants to, or enter into transactions other than contracts with, entities under subsection (b) to carry out any of the following:

(1)Advanced engineering and applied research into novel computing models, materials, devices, architectures, or algorithms to enable the advancement of artificial intelligence and machine learning.

(2)Research efforts to—

(A)overcome challenges with engineering and applied research of microelectronics, including with respect to the physical limits on transistors, electrical interconnects, and memory elements; or

(B)promote long-term advancements in computing technologies, including by fostering a unified and multidisciplinary approach encompassing research and development into algorithm design, computing architectures, microelectronic devices and circuits, and the chemistry and physics of new materials.

(3)Any other activity the Director determines would promote the development of microelectronics research.

(d)In awarding contracts or grants, or entering into transactions other than contracts, under subsection (b), the Director may award not more than a total of $15,000,000.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

50 U.S.C. § 3334i

Title 50 — War and National Defense

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73