Workshops
Panel Discussions
Keynote Speakers
Microelectronics Commons: The New Battleground of Global Motorsport
The Microelectronics Commons (Commons) is a key national initiative that is executed with oversight from the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering’s (OUSD(R&E)’s) Principal Director for Microelectronics as part of the CHIPS and Science Act. This effort benefits both the Department of Defense (DoD) and the United States in spurring development of a domestic microelectronics manufacturing industry by forging critical partnerships with commercial industry, academic, and government partners within eight regional hubs across the country. The Commons supports the acceleration of laboratory to fabrication (lab-to-fab) prototyping through hubs to create a network focused on maturing emerging microelectronics technologies, strengthening microelectronics education and training, and developing a pipeline of talent to bolster local semiconductor economies and contribute to the growth of a domestic semiconductor workforce. In particular, the Commons will address the need for processes, materials, devices, and architectures to be developed and transitioned from research labs to small-volume prototyping in a fab or foundry. The Microelectronics Commons released the first annual Call for Projects (CFP) in December 2023 and released 41 topics across six technical areas: Electronic Warfare, Commercial Leap Ahead, AI Hardware, Quantum, Secure Edge/Internet of Things and 5G/6G. This talk will provide an update on the progress in spurring advances.
Roger Griffiths
Team Principal
Andretti Formula E, Andretti Extreme E
Having joined Andretti in the spring of 2014, Roger Griffiths serves as the team principal for Andretti Formula E and Andretti Extreme E. Griffiths’ vast background in many motorsports endeavors including Formula One, INDYCAR, American Le Mans Series, European Le Mans Series, and Super Touring Cars, Griffiths has led Andretti Formula E to 10 wins and 32 podiums across nine seasons. He also served as the technical director for Honda Performance Development, where he experienced success at the Indy 500 in 2012 and the 2013 Driver’s Championship. The UK native is an engineering graduate of Loughborough University of Technology (1991) and the year following his graduation, Griffiths earned his master’s degree in automotive product engineering at Cranfield Institute of Technology with a specialization in vehicle modeling and lap simulation.
The NSTC: Leveraging Public-private Partnerships to Aadvance U.S.-led Semiconductor R&D, Workforce, and National Security
The National Semiconductor Technology Center (NSTC) is a public-private consortium established by the CHIPS and Science Act and is dedicated to semiconductor R&D in the United States. Operated by Natcast, the NSTC convenes industry, academia, and government from across the semiconductor ecosystem to address the most challenging barriers to continued technological progress in the domestic semiconductor industry, including the need for a skilled workforce. Natcast CEO Deirdre Hanford shares insights into the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity presented by the NSTC, its activities to-date, and its impact on innovation, workforce, and economic and national security.
Deirdre Hanford
Chief Exective Officer & Trustee
Natcast
Deirdre Hanford was appointed Chief Executive Officer and Trustee of Natcast in January 2024. In this role, Hanford leads Natcast as a purpose-built, non-profit entity designated to operate the National Semiconductor Technology Center (NSTC) by the Department of Commerce. Established by the CHIPS and Science Act of the U.S. government, the NSTC is a public-private consortium dedicated to semiconductor R&D in the United States. The NSTC convenes industry, academia, and government from across the semiconductor ecosystem to address the most challenging barriers to continued technological progress in the domestic semiconductor industry, including the need for a skilled workforce.
Prior to Natcast, Hanford served as an executive at Synopsys. Over the span of 36 years, her roles included chief security 0fficer, co-general manager of the Synopsys Design Group, and leader of a variety of customer engagement, applications engineering, sales and marketing groups.
In July 2024, Hanford was selected to receive the 2025 IEEE Frederik Philips Award “for visionary leadership in electronic design automation for secure and energy-efficient microelectronics.” She was additionally awarded the 2024 Brown Engineering Alumni Medal (BEAM) within the Brown University School of Engineering. She has also been named to WomenTech’s 2022 list of Women in Tech Leaders to Watch, VLSIresearch’s 2017 list of All Stars of the Semiconductor Industry, and National Diversity Council’s 2014 list of Top 50 Most Powerful Women in Technology. Hanford earned a BS in engineering (electrical engineering) from Brown University and an MSEE from University of California, Berkeley.