CHANDLER, AZ — Chandler-based semiconductor giant Microchip Technology Inc. has won a $50 million federal contract to help develop the next-generation processor for spaceflight computing.
The selection by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory taps Microchip (Nasdaq: MCHP) to work over the next three years to design and deliver a High-Performance Spaceflight Computing, or HPSC, processor that will have at least 100 times the computing capacity of the computers now in use.
Microchip’s aim will be to enable scalable computing power to handle different mission needs. Its processor is intended to improve on current state-of-the-art versions with greater reliability, higher fault tolerance and the ability to perform calculations up to 100 times faster.
In addition to the contract award amount, the Valley company — which is one of Arizona's largest public companies — will also contribute significantly to the costs of research and development.
