The US Department of Defense has awarded Raytheon a $20-million contract to develop a next-generation multi-chip solution for terrestrial, aerial, and maritime sensors.
The microelectronic technology will transform radio frequency energy into digital information with amplified bandwidth and data rates.
This capability is expected to provide modern sensing systems with enhanced performance, lesser weight, and lower power consumption.
Throughout the program, Raytheon will leverage cost-effective approaches and the expertise of microchip companies including semiconductor developer AMD.
Once completed, the chiplet will be integrated into Raytheon’s proprietary circuit board through a local silicon manufacturing facility in Lompoc, California.
“By teaming with commercial industry, we can incorporate cutting-edge technology into Department of Defense applications on a much faster timescale,” Raytheon Advanced Technology President Colin Whelan stated.
“Together, we will deliver the first multi-chip package that features the latest in interconnect ability – which will provide new system capabilities to our warfighters.”
Recent Microchip Projects for US Defense
The US has signed similar projects with microchip partners in the past to improve the country’s warfighter platforms.
In January 2023, the Missile Defense Agency awarded One Stop Systems a $3-million contract to upgrade its radar simulation systems.
The contract ordered graphics processing units developed by tech company Nvidia as well as One Stop Systems’ peripheral components.
Metawave Corporation received $1.7 million the same month to modernize the US Army’s sensing and perception radars with Nvidia-made processing units.
In 2022, L3Harris and ZMicro partnered to equip rugged computing solutions with 16-core Intel Xeon processors in the US Special Operations Command’s AT-802U Sky Warden light attack aircraft.
