The U.S. government has awarded Intel Corporation up to $3 billion to support the manufacturing of microelectronics and ensure access to a domestic supply chain of advanced semiconductors for national security. The funding has been given under the CHIPS and Science Act for a capability known as the Secure Enclave. The Secure Enclave program builds on previous projects between Intel and the Department of Defense, focused on microelectronic prototypes. The award will be executed by the Department of Defense per an agreement with the Department of Commerce. BAD OLDESLOE, Germany — AT - Automation Technology, a developer of customizable 3D imaging sensor technology, has changed its branding to AT Sensors, effective immediately. According to AT Sensors CEO Daniel Seiler, the decision comes as the company continues to withdraw from the systems business to instead concentrate on the production of solution-oriented sensors. PI executives at the new production facility’s opening. Courtesy of PI. ESCHBACH, Germany — Positioning technology company Physik Instrumente (PI) has opened a new €20 million ($22.3 million) production facility in Eschbach, Germany. The facility expands PI’s global production capacity by 6500 sq m for high-precision positioning technology and piezo applications. The company has stated that it has further developments planned for its facilities in Germany, the U.S., China, and Japan. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) funding will go towards developing heterogeneous integration technology. Courtesy of Aeluma. GOLETA, Calif. — Aeluma, Inc., a developer of optoelectronics for sensing and communications, has been awarded $11.7 million in funding from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop heterogeneous integration technology compatible with leading edge and future advanced-node semiconductors with potential applications in AI, mobile devices, and 5G/6G wireless communication. The DARPA contract is structured to provide ~$6 million over 18 months, with the $5.7 million balance to be provided over the following 18 months as Aeluma meets certain milestones. The Aquark team in the lab. Courtesy of Aquark. SOUTHAMPTON, England — Cold matter quantum technology Aquark Technologies has raised €5 million ($5.6 million) in seed financing led by the NATO Innovation Fund. The investment will go towards securing infrastructure for magnetic field-free cold atom traps for the accurate positioning, navigation, and timing in sectors like defense, telecommunications, and finance. OptiTrack’s headquarters and manufacturing facility in Corvallis, Oregon. Courtesy of OptiTrack. CORVALLIS, Ore. — OptiTrack, a developer of 3D tracking technology, has expanded its headquarters and manufacturing facility in Corvallis, Oregon. The company has added a 25,000 sq ft building featuring an expanded surface-mount technology line, increased warehouse storage capacity, and dedicated spaces for prototyping, additive manufacturing, and assembly. ZURICH — Swiss photonics startup Lightium has raised $7 million in seed funding to aid the performance of data centers and reduce their energy consumption. The financing, led by Vsquared Ventures and Lakestar, will accelerate the commercialization of Lightium’s production-grade thin-film lithium niobate photonic integrated circuits foundry services, which the company aims to launch at the beginning of 2025. DELFT, Netherlands — TNO has launched its Qu-STAR satellite project to define the role of space in quantum information networks. The project will be in collaboration with Airbus Central Research and Technology who will help design the satellite and seek collaboration with stakeholders globally, in particular by contributing to the Quantum Internet Alliance and its recently launched Special Interest Group on Space. The collaboration is the direct result of a letter of intent that Airbus and TNO signed last November. ARVADA, Colo. — Following its designation as a Quantum Tech Hub earlier this year, the State of Colorado has broken ground on a new Quantum Tech Park in Arvada. Half of the $41 million Economic Development Administration Tech Hub award will go toward critical equipment and capabilities to establish this site, which was purchased by the Colorado School of Mines. The amount will be matched by $22 million in tax credits designated for quantum industry by the State of Colorado. The 70-acre site will be dedicated to elevating quantum technology and research and is projected to create up to 10,000 jobs by 2030. The spacecraft bus that will carry the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope into orbit. Courtesy of NASA/Chris Gunn. GREENBELT, Md. — NASA has completed construction on the construction of a spacecraft bus that will be used to deliver the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope to its orbit. The spacecraft will deploy several major elements — including solar panels, deployable aperture cover, lower instrument sunshade, and high-gain antenna — to aid the telescope in surveying dark energy, dark matter, and exoplanets. The spacecraft is currently being integrated with the telescope and other scientific instruments.