Breaking the Bottleneck | Issue 51
[6/17/2024] Semiconductor Labor Shortage, Immersion Cooling, & Aerospace Manufacturing in 2024!
Breaking the Bottleneck is a weekly manufacturing technology newsletter with perspectives, interviews, news, funding announcements, manufacturing market maps, and a startup database!
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News:
Chips Act Faces Semiconductor Labor Shortage [Fortune]
The CHIPS Act has provided $30 billion in grants, $25 billion in loans, and tax breaks, spurring a massive $450 billion in private semiconductor investment. However, challenges loom as these projects come online—chief among them a critical shortage of qualified workers. A Commerce Department official highlighted this, noting, "Workforce is a really, really important potential bottleneck," attributing it to the decline in domestic semiconductor manufacturing expertise over the past few decades. The semiconductor trade group estimates the U.S. faces a shortage of approximately 67,000 skilled workers, representing 58% of all new jobs expected from CHIPS Act investments by 2030. Efforts are underway by federal agencies, nonprofits, and educators to bridge this gap amidst a historical shift away from manufacturing and toward service-based sectors. Mike Russo from NIIT emphasized, "You can’t run an economy like ours without having a solid manufacturing sector." Training and apprenticeship programs are pivotal. NIIT, in collaboration with 80+ local programs across 17 states, has enrolled nearly 5,000 students in workforce training. These efforts aim to equip workers with specialized technical skills necessary for semiconductor manufacturing roles, emphasizing that such jobs don’t always require advanced degrees. It’s yet to be determined if this will catalyze interest, but the success of the sector hinges on robust workforce development initiatives and commitments from both government and industry.
Immersion Cooling Dunks Servers to Cut Power [IEEE]
Teams worldwide are exploring immersion cooling as a promising solution to manage heat in data centers more efficiently, challenging traditional air-based cooling methods. Historically, computers rely on power-intensive fans to prevent overheating, a problem exacerbated by the substantial energy consumption—30 to 40 percent of total data center energy—needed for cooling. In contrast, immersion cooling submerges entire data center components in nonconductive oils or synthetic fluids, enhancing heat transfer efficiency while reducing energy consumption. Sustainable Metal Cloud (SMC), for instance, utilizes polyalphaolefin oil to cool servers, removing the need for fans and improving operational stability. Sandia National Laboratories has explored similar methods with Submer Technologies' biodegradable fluid, emphasizing its efficiency—potentially cutting energy use by 70 percent compared to traditional cooling. Dave Martinez at Sandia highlights immersion cooling’s noise reduction and maintenance advantages, envisioning its adoption in future data centers. Challenges such as managing coolant compatibility with components are being addressed through ongoing research and testing, positioning immersion cooling as a promising innovation in sustainable data center technology.
Industrial Data Fabric Solution Best Practices [AWS]
Industrial Data Fabric (IDF) solutions play a crucial role in enabling manufacturing and industrial companies to embark on digital transformation journeys aimed at optimizing operations. By integrating diverse data types such as time series data from machines, maintenance data from EAM and ERP systems, production order details from MES, and scheduling information, IDF establishes semantic relationships critical for operational insights. The main challenge to creating this unified dataspace centers around stakeholder alignment across business units, given each has unique operational processes and technology standards. To overcome these hurdles, manufacturers should consider simplifying organizational structures using "single-threaded leader" and "two-pizza teams" approaches, thereby facilitating smoother IDF adoption. Additionally, fostering a culture of calculated risk-taking is pivotal for managing evolving business needs while addressing security concerns. Finally, establishing clear goals, such as crafting a mission statement to guide the IDF initiative and advocating for its enterprise-wide relevance, proves essential. AWS advises starting with a well-defined NSVA (North Star Vision Architecture) and conducting AWS Well-Architected reviews to ensure architectural alignment and extensibility across future use cases.
Digital Twins Help Scientists Run The World’s Most Complex Experiments [MIT Tech Review]
In January 2022, NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), a $10 billion project, faced a critical phase as it neared its orbital destination one million miles from Earth. Its deployment required intricate maneuvers, including unfolding a tennis-court-sized sun shield and assembling an 18-piece hexagonal mirror, crucial for its observation capabilities. Engineers from Raytheon, responsible for the telescope's software and flight operations, monitored these operations remotely using a "digital twin." The digital twin, tracking 800 million data points daily, enabled engineers to simulate and monitor JWST's actions, predict outcomes of software updates, and train operators. Beyond JWST, digital twins are transforming scientific instruments like the Curiosity rover and aiding projects at facilities like CERN and the Gran Telescopio Canarias. These models, integrating IoT, AI, and cloud computing, enhance operational efficiency and predictive capabilities across diverse applications. As digital twins become ubiquitous, their role in optimizing complex systems and advancing scientific understanding continues to expand, bridging the gap between industry innovation and scientific discovery.
Thermoelectric Effect Seen in Liquids for the First Time [IEEE]
Researchers at École Normale Supérieure (ENS) in Paris have achieved a breakthrough by observing thermoelectric phenomena at the interface between two liquid metals. Led by physicist Christophe Gissinger, the research explores how temperature gradients influence electrical currents in liquid metals, an area with scant prior investigation due to technical challenges and lack of focus. Gissinger and his team conducted experiments using room-temperature liquid metals gallium and mercury, observing complex electrical currents in response to controlled temperature differences. Their setup involved a cylindrical chamber with refrigerated walls, where heated liquid mercury interacted with cooler liquid gallium, generating intricate current loops across the metal interface. This behavior, characterized by high current densities and turbulence not seen in solids, suggests potential applications in efficient energy conversion from waste heat. These findings mark a significant advancement in understanding and potentially harnessing thermoelectricity in liquid systems. The implications extend beyond energy harvesting devices to include improvements in liquid-metal battery designs, particularly in managing fluid dynamics that affect battery longevity and efficiency.
Research:
Aerospace Manufacturing in 2024 [Protolabs]
In 2024, a joint survey by RAeS and Protolabs revisited the aerospace manufacturing landscape, revealing significant shifts and concerns within the industry. Some key highlights from the survey include:
Technologically, 3D printing dominated (74.09%), surpassing CNC machining and robotic manufacturing. This shift suggests 3D printing's integration into mainstream aerospace manufacturing beyond rapid prototyping.
The survey also noted a decline in in-house manufacturing (29.59% producing 25-50%), indicating a trend towards outsourcing initial production runs to focus on R&D. Concerns over project costs and lack of expertise remained high, reflecting challenges in adopting digital manufacturing.
Quality emerged as the paramount factor (94.22%) in parts design and manufacturing, up from 64% in 2023, underscoring heightened industry scrutiny post-scandals and safety issues.
Certification's importance soared, with 76.12% rating it 'very important' in 2024, emphasizing enhanced regulatory focus. Future industry focus shifted towards new technologies (63.36%), aligning with sustainability goals through efficiency and innovation.
AI's role in advanced manufacturing and digital design garnered optimism, with 48.65% considering it 'important' and 32.61% 'very important', highlighting expectations for AI-driven advancements in aerospace.
Shaking Up the Factory Floor with Digital and AI [BCG]
A BCG global survey of almost 1,800 manufacturing executives across seven industries found that 89% of companies plan to implement AI in their production networks, and 68% have already started implementing AI solutions. Yet only 16% of companies have achieved their AI-related targets. To successfully integrate digital and AI technologies at scale, manufacturers must prioritize people and processes alongside technology and algorithms. Lean principles serve as a foundational framework, enhancing productivity, quality, and engagement. However, traditional lean methods face challenges with the complexity of modern equipment and evolving workforce expectations. A strategic approach involves developing a clear vision of the future factory and integrating standardized processes into a cohesive technology stack. Successfully scaling these initiatives requires addressing challenges such as change resistance and digital literacy gaps. Emphasizing a human-centric transformation approach—allocating 70% effort to people and process transformation, 20% to data infrastructure, and 10% to algorithms—facilitates smoother integration.
Podcasts/Video:
Ask These Questions Before Choosing a Manufacturing Location [HBR]
Manufacturing Deals🏭💵
Black Semiconductor - A company developing a chip-connecting technology based on graphene
$271 million [Public / Private Funding] - Led by the German Federal Government
Relay - A company developing a cloud-based communications platform designed to improve productivity and safety for frontline teams
$32 million [Series B] - Led by G2 Venture Partners and joined by Wind River Ventures and Sovereign's Capital
Swift Solar - A company manufacturing lightweight solar panels that are more efficient than conventional panels using perovskite materials
$27 million [Series A] - Co-led by Eni and Fontinalis Partners
Aepnus - A company unlockin the potential of renewable electricity via unltra-efficient electrolysis technology
$8 million [Seed] - Led by Clean Energy Ventures and joined by Gravity Climate Fund, Impact Science Ventures, Lowercarbon Capital, Muus Climate Partners and Voyager Ventures
Planned Downtime 🏭🧑🔧
WWDC Recap
England Euro 2024 Commercial