AFRL awards Next Semiconductor $34M for heterogeneous microelectronics development

The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) has awarded Next Semiconductor Technologies Inc. a $34.1 million cost-plus-fixed-fee completion contract to develop heterogeneous microelectronics under the program Heterogeneous Microelectronics for Assured Non-Kinetics. The contract, FA8750-26-C-B021, was granted through a competitive acquisition that received two offers. Work will be performed in San Diego and is expected to be completed by 2031, with the contracting activity listed as AFRL in Rome, New York. At award, AFRL obligated $4.25 million in fiscal 2025 RDT&E funds and an initial $1,000 in fiscal 2026 RDT&E funds. Heterogeneous microelectronics generally combine multiple semiconductor technologies or functions in a single package to optimize performance, power, and SWaP for demanding applications, though the announcement provides no additional technical specifics.