China's National Natural Science Foundation (NSFC) has set aside a budget of up to$6.4 million to fund around 30 research projects centred on 'chiplet' technology.

The primary goal of the NSFC's program is to build a research team with global influence, enhancing China's ability to innovate domestically in the semiconductor field. The research projects will encompass various areas, including chiplet dissection, combination, and reuse methods, semiconductor design, three-dimensional chip processing techniques, and the structure of high-performance ICs.

Why does it matter? This initiative reflects China's determination to achieve self-sufficiency in semiconductors amidst trade sanctions imposed by the US. Chiplets have garnered significant attention in China due to their potential to lower design costs and extend Moore's Law, which involves doubling the number of transistors on an integrated circuit (IC) every two years.