The State Department Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs has awarded Arizona State University a $13.8 million cooperative agreement under the International Technology Security and Innovation, or ITSI, Fund to help lead a new initiative to diversify the global semiconductor supply chain.

ASU’s Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering will support the State Department in leading a new multi-regional initiative to boost the semiconductor assembly, testing and packaging capabilities in ITSI partner countries in the Americas and Indo-Pacific, the State Department said Tuesday.

The effort will focus on enabling ITSI partners to invest in the semiconductor sector and advance workforce capacity to create new talent pipelines.

The initiative is meant to equip workforce development programs to assist partner nations in building workforce skills necessary to advance technology and spur economic growth.

ITSI was created by the CHIPS Act of 2022 to provide the State Department with $500 million in funding over five years to develop secure and trustworthy telecommunications networks and diversify the semiconductor supply chain.