DBX Cluster Accelerator Prototype

The U.S. government is making significant investments that will quickly grow domestic electronics capabilities and capacity. While the investment amount won’t match that of other countries, the U.S. can increase the return on its investments by accelerating the growth of regional electronics clusters. Past economic development efforts that focused largely on traditional offerings like land allocation and monetary incentives have been slow to develop. National and economic security issues require that domestic manufacturing capabilities be strengthened immediately. The DBX Cluster Accelerator Model is designed to do just that.

Accelerating cluster development and growth requires offering greater and more targeted value than has been traditionally available. By understanding and leveraging the greatest motivators for both companies and the workforce, a region can more quickly grow and attract new firms, help existing companies expand, convince manufacturers to re-shore overseas operations and ensure a viable workforce.

The Rochester and Ithaca region was chosen for this effort for several reasons. One is the presence of two DBX awardees, Mosaic Microsystems and Soctera. Another factor is that economic analysis showed this region is an “emerging cluster,” where impact of the project can be better measured. The region also scored high on electronic product manufacturing and talent pipeline.

In addition to conducting a target cluster analysis, the project team is interviewing regional economic development offices, incubators, accelerators, universities, community colleges and electronics manufacturers of varying sizes and specialties. That information will then inform the design of quantitative survey instruments to understand business location decision-making, supply chain issues and worker needs. This attention to worker needs will be one of the first known efforts to identify how to best attract and retain workers for a specific industry in a particular region.

An agent-based model will be used to ingest and analyze the resulting data, providing unique insights on what will create the greatest value to attract and retain electronics companies and workforce in the Rochester and Ithaca region. These insights provide regions with a better understanding of what investments will best help accelerate cluster growth.

The model is expected to be completed in early 2025. The U.S. Partnership for Assured Electronics (USPAE) is developing this model on behalf of the Department of Defense (DoD) Manufacturing, Capability Expansion, and Investment Prioritization Directorate (MCEIP).