The US Commerce Department on Tuesday, August 27, announced its intention to allocate $50 million to HP technology company to finance efforts related to the expansion and modernization of the production site of this brand in Oregon.

It is expected that the mentioned government’s monetary support will contribute to the development of major semiconductor technologies. Funding from the US Commerce Department will be directed to designing technological solutions that are used in instrumentation for life sciences and hardware, applied in artificial intelligence apps and other projects.

In August 2022, Congress approved a $39 billion program to subsidize semiconductor manufacturing in the United States and related components. This case also provides for the provision of state loan authority for $75 billion and a 25% investment tax credit in the amount estimated at $24 billion.

HP has experience in the area of microfluidics and microelectromechanical systems. Funding from the US Commerce Department will be directed to support the production of silicon devices, critical for laboratory equipment in the life sciences area, used in drug discovery, single-cell systems of research, and cell line design.

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo says the proposed $50 million funding for the HP campus in Oregon is an example of how Washington is investing in every part of the semiconductor supply chain and how important semiconductor technology is in discovering drugs and mission-critical life science equipment.

HP chief executive officer Enrique Lores said the financing provides the company with the opportunity to modernize and expand the facility for further investments in microfluidics technology.

It is worth noting that the semiconductor industry is also very important for artificial intelligence. Chips are necessary for training and ensuring the process of subsequent functioning of machine intelligence systems. Access to artificial intelligence, which has a significant potential for large-scale impact on many aspects and dimensions of the space of existence of human civilization, in the foreseeable future, will most likely determine the opportunities and prospects of the countries of the world. Washington is aware of this, as evidenced by investments in the semiconductor industry.

It is also worth noting that in the emerging era of artificial intelligence, the issue of cybersecurity is of particular importance. Scammers have access to AI, which is why their activities become more sophisticated. In the context of this problem, the personal awareness of users is important. For example, a query in an Internet search engine, such as how to know if my camera is hacked, will allow anyone to get information about signs of unauthorized access to the device.