BHP-backed I-Pulse wins $250 million US CHIPS award for silicon-carbide semiconductors

BHP-backed I-Pulse wins $250 million US CHIPS award for silicon-carbide semiconductors June 25 : Mining giant BHP-backed I-Pulse said on Thursday it had signed an agreement with the U.S. Department of Commerce for a $250 million award to advance its semiconductor and pulsed-power technology. The award from the department's CHIPS Research and Development Office is aimed at supporting U.S. semiconductor research, domestic manufacturing capacity and supply-chain resilience. • The company, co-founded by mining financier Robert Friedland and Chief Technology Officer Laurent Frescaline, said the funding would help develop high-performance silicon-carbide semiconductor components used in pulsed-power systems. • I-Pulse added the pulsed-power systems can be applied in geothermal drilling, mining, rock crushing, manufacturing and defense. • In geothermal drilling, for example, the pulses fracture can increase drilling speed and drill-bit life and potentially lower costs, the company said. • The program would be led by the Albuquerque team, near Sandia National Laboratories and the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, and would involve U.S. national laboratories, universities and specialized manufacturers.