Portland State joins Oregon semiconductor innovation engine backed by up to $160 million from NSF

Portland State University has become a core partner in Frontiers of Advanced Semiconductor Technology, or FAST, a statewide semiconductor initiative led by Oregon State University that may receive up to $160 million from the National Science Foundation over 10 years.

The initiative was among 12 NSF Regional Innovation Engines announced in July 2026. Its first two years are expected to receive $15 million, according to Portland State. The larger 10-year figure is potential funding, not money that has already been distributed.

FAST brings together nearly 100 partners across Oregon, Portland State said, including universities, industry, government and community organizations. Axios Portland reported the consortium has more than 100 partners across higher education, government, industry and nonprofits.

Portland State’s role

Portland State will contribute semiconductor research and workforce development to the coalition. The university said a team led by professor Christof Teuscher is developing artificial-intelligence tools related to chip heat-management challenges.

That work concerns a practical engineering problem: chips produce heat, and managing that heat is important to their design and operation. The announcement describes research and tool development; it does not report a completed commercial product, measured real-world performance results or a deployed technology.

Portland State and Portland Community College also plan to build on their MICRO-TEC semiconductor education collaboration. Their work includes expanding stackable semiconductor credentials, an approach intended to let students build training through successive credentials.

A statewide effort, with a Portland connection

FAST is not a Portland-only award. Oregon State leads the regional engine, while Portland State is one of its core partners in a coalition intended to advance semiconductor research, workforce preparation and commercialization across Oregon.

For Portland, the immediate confirmed development is the university’s participation in the federally backed network and its planned research and education contributions. The funding is expected to support research, startups and workforce investment in the Portland area, Axios Portland reported.

The announcements do not specify how much of the funding Portland State itself will receive. They also do not provide a final forecast for Portland-area jobs or the number of companies that could be created. Those outcomes should not be treated as guaranteed while the coalition begins its first expected two-year funding period.

The next known funding milestone is that initial $15 million period. Over the longer term, NSF may provide FAST up to $160 million across 10 years, subject to the initiative’s funding structure and continued support.