Funding Cuts Jeopardize U.S. Chip Supply Chain Study

As part of the Trump administration’s push to reduce government spending, the U.S. Department of Defense has rolled back more than US $580 million in funding, including $360 million in grants, some of which were tied to universities. The cuts pumped the brakes on troves of projects across the country, including national security-focused research that President Trump deemed unaligned with national priorities. Among the projects placed on indefinite hold was a multi-year, $3 million study at Cornell University funded through the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to examine cyber vulnerabilities in the U.S. semiconductor supply chain. It was one of more than 75 DoD-funded projects at Cornell that received a stop-work order. The research came amid rising geopolitical tensions and a global AI arms race. Chips are critical to both AI infrastructure and military systems. Without understanding risks—such as design software attacks and IP theft—some experts warn that halting this work c