The SWAP Hub project, led by Alphacore, received CHIPS Act funding to advance RF transceiver technology. The SWAP Hub (Southwest Advanced Prototyping HUB), located at Arizona State University, received $29.6 million in funding for five microelectronics projects aimed at developing and advancing United States' military technology for next-generation wireless and RF transceiver technology, artificial intelligence computing, and radar power and security processing systems.
Radio frequency (RF) transceiver is a device that realizes signal reception and transmission in wireless communication systems, and it plays a key role in wireless communication equipment such as mobile phones, satellite communications, and radars. The working principle of an RF transceiver is based on modulation and demodulation techniques, by converting an electrical signal into radio waves and modulating them, and then transmitting the signal through an antenna to a receiver over a long distance. The RF transceiver at the receiving end uses the radio waves received by the antenna and converts them back to the original electrical signal through demodulation techniques.
The main functions of RF transceivers include signal transmission, reception, processing, and multi-band support. They are capable of converting and modulating electrical signals into radio waves, which are then transmitted via antennas to receivers over long distances. At the receiving end, the radio waves received by the RF transceiver are converted back into the original electrical signal through demodulation technology, and the received signals are processed, such as signal gain adjustment, filtering, spectrum analysis, etc., which helps to improve signal quality and reliability, and supports the operation of multiple frequency bands to adapt to different communication standards and frequency requirements.
Figure: Alphacore receives CHIPS Act funding to develop RF technology (Source: Hefeiwang)
RF transceivers are used in a wide range of applications, including mobile communications, satellite communications, radar systems, the Internet of Things, wireless sensor networks, television and radio, aerospace, and military communications. With the development of wireless communication technology, RF transceivers have undergone tremendous changes in design and function, and are continuing to iterate in the direction of lower power consumption, better performance, lower cost, and smaller size. In the development of RF transceiver technology, software-defined radio (SDR) transceivers are an important direction. For example, Analog Devices' ADRV9002 SDR transceivers offer a flexible PLL architecture that supports fast frequency hopping capabilities and is suitable for the requirements of modern complex communication systems.
These projects are being carried out under the United States Department of Defense's Microelectronics Commons program, which aims to accelerate the development and production of microelectronics technologies critical to security and defense. The SWAP Hub is one of eight regional innovation hubs across the country that connects the fast-growing and largest semiconductor cluster in the southwestern United States and connects to a national network of defense and electronics partners.
The funding is part of funding from the CHIPS and Science Act, which aims to support semiconductor research, development, manufacturing and workforce development in the United States and ensure United States' leadership in semiconductor technology. The CHIPS and Science Act provides $52.7 billion for United States semiconductor research, development, manufacturing, and workforce development, including $39 billion for manufacturing incentives, $13.2 billion for R&D and workforce development, and funding for international ICT security and semiconductor supply chain activities.
Through these projects, the SWAP Hub and its partners will be able to address national security technology challenges and advance RF transceiver technology, which is critical for both defense and commercial capabilities. These investments are expected to strengthen United States' chip manufacturing capacity, reduce dependence on foreign sources of microelectronics, and drive economic growth and technological advancement.
