Apparently, of the 195 Million the DoD allocated in University Research Funding Awards in 2022, more than half of them concerned AI or compute hardware research

post by mako yass (MakoYass) · 2023-07-07T01:20:20.079Z · LW · GW · 5 comments

This is a link post for https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/2953234/department-of-defense-announces-university-research-funding-awards/

Contents

  Social Network-Transcendent Behavioral Dynamics Learning Dynamics and Detecting Causal Pathways in Coupled Online- Offline Systems
  Microelectronic Test Science Exploiting Latent Energy and Electromagnetic Radiation Comprehensive Minimally/non- invasive Multifaceted Assessment of Nano-/ microelectronic Devices (CoMMAND)
  Understanding Neural Systems Integration for Competent Autonomy in Decision and Control FLAP: Fast, Lexicographic Agile Integrates Decision and Control in a Spike-Resolved, Sensorimotor Program
  Bio-architected Responsive Materials with 3D Nanoscale Order 3D Nanomaterial Architectures with Programmable Reconfiguration States and Functions
  ELECTROBIOLOGY: Electronic Control of Biological Communication Faster, More Efficient, and Hybrid Computation in Microbial Bioelectronic Systems ARO Rice University
  Novel Routes to Majorana Qubits for Topologically- Protected Quantum Information Epitaxial phase-biased Josephson junctions
  Molecular Doping of Organic Electronic Materials Next Generation Molecular Dopants for Organic Electronics: From Fundamentals to New Device Concepts
  Self-learning for Real-world Perception Intentional multi-modal self-learning to perceive and understand the real world
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Suggests interesting things about what the Department of Defense is focusing on, so I thought I should mention it.

The awards concerned "pursuing basic research spanning multiple scientific disciplines", which makes it pretty interesting that three fifths of them are either directly AI and compute hardware research, or have applications to compute hardware research.

From a merit-based review of approximately 340 proposals received, a panel of experts narrowed the proposals to a subset, from which the 28 final awards were selected

Take a look at the table of project topics. Bold means probably directly AI/compute, italic means probably primarily applicable to AI/compute.

Social Network-Transcendent Behavioral Dynamics Learning Dynamics and Detecting Causal Pathways in Coupled Online- Offline Systems

Microelectronic Test Science Exploiting Latent Energy and Electromagnetic Radiation Comprehensive Minimally/non- invasive Multifaceted Assessment of Nano-/ microelectronic Devices (CoMMAND)

Cavity Molecular Polaritons MURI: Polariton Chemistry

Effects of Radiation Damage on Performance of Wide-Bandgap Electronics REDESIGN: Radiation Effects preDiction through Experimentally validated Simulation of Gallium Nitride

Understanding Neural Systems Integration for Competent Autonomy in Decision and Control FLAP: Fast, Lexicographic Agile Integrates Decision and Control in a Spike-Resolved, Sensorimotor Program

Nonlinear Optical Material Design with Extreme Interband Nonlinearities Atomic-scale Manipulations of Interband Optical Nonlinearities - (AtoMs➝IONs)

Synthetic Quantum Matter Reimagining Atoms and Photons in SYnthetic, DYnamical, and INteracting Quantum matter

Composability of Synthetic Biological Circuits Rules of Composition in Synthetic Biology Across Scales of Complexity: Theory and Tools

Bio-architected Responsive Materials with 3D Nanoscale Order 3D Nanomaterial Architectures with Programmable Reconfiguration States and Functions

Topological Seeds of Complex Response in Materials Programming Multistable Origami and Kirigami Structures via Topological Design

Connectivity and Transport in Disordered Hyperuniform Networks Transport in Disordered Hyperuniform Systems and Networks

Uncovering the Underlying Neurobiological Mechanisms of Cognitive Fatigue Understanding and Predicting Cognitive Fatigue across Multiple Timescales, Distinct Aspects of Cognition, and Different Individuals with Multiscale Whole Cortex Models

Gut-Neuronal Signaling Through Polymeric Mucin via Chemical Probes and Imaging Mucin-mimetic Interventions to Modulate the Gut-Brain Axis

ELECTROBIOLOGY: Electronic Control of Biological Communication Faster, More Efficient, and Hybrid Computation in Microbial Bioelectronic Systems ARO Rice University

Novel Routes to Majorana Qubits for Topologically- Protected Quantum Information Epitaxial phase-biased Josephson junctions

Molecular Doping of Organic Electronic Materials Next Generation Molecular Dopants for Organic Electronics: From Fundamentals to New Device Concepts

Learning from Hearing Neurobehavioral, Physiological, and Computational Processes of Auditory Object Learning in Mammals

Hydrodynamics of Fish Schooling Revealing the Hydrodynamic Principles of Three-dimensional Fish Schools; From Biology to Schooling Robotics

Self-learning for Real-world Perception Intentional multi-modal self-learning to perceive and understand the real world

Fundamental Non-equilibrium Processes in Weakly Ionized Hypersonic Flows Development of Validated Hypersonic Plasma Kinetics Models Including Atomic Excitation

Initio Understanding of Detonation Based Combustion in Multiphase Mixtures Multiphase Detonation of Liquid Aeropropulsion Fuels

Bioinspired Design of Energy- Self Sufficient Multi-functional Soft Material Systems SERPENT: Self EneRgetic Propulsion ENTity

Systems-Level Foundations for Agile, Dynamic, and Ad Hoc Human Autonomy Teams HUDDLE: Human Autonomy Teaming in Uncertain and Dynamic Environments

Environmental DNA-based Monitoring of the Marine Environment (ED- MON) MMARINeDNA: Marine MAmmal Remote detection via INnovative environmental DNA sampling ONR University of Washington

Flat Bands Beyond van der Waals Materials Topological Flat Bands for Correlated Electron Systems

There are multiple entries in computing with biological substrates.
The materials science stuff, "Polariton Chemistry", "Reimagining Atoms and Photons in SYnthetic, DYnamical, and INteracting Quantum matter", etc, this does all seem to be gesturing towards potential applications in compute hardware, and that's where I'd expect any potential applications to concentrate in practice?

I wonder how these projects have progressed over the past year.

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