Aeluma, Inc

Aeluma has appointed Jason Taylor as Senior Director of Program and Project Management to drive commercialization of its compound semiconductor photonics. Taylor brings nearly three decades of program management and engineering experience from Intel, Kyocera, and Lumileds, spanning laser, LED, and silicon semiconductor technologies. He will lead program and project management across the organization, focusing on customer-driven technology and product development as Aeluma transitions to commercial-scale manufacturing for AI datacom, mobile, defense and aerospace, and other markets. Taylor holds M.S. degrees in Electronic Materials and Devices and Chemical Engineering from San Jose State University and is a certified Project Management Professional and Six Sigma Black Belt.

The Commerce Department has signed letters of intent to provide $874 million in CHIPS and Science Act incentives to seven companies advancing semiconductor technologies for AI and high-performance computing. GlobalFoundries will receive up to $300 million to accelerate U.S. R&D of co-packaged optics, while Kepler will receive up to $245 million to develop advanced AI memory technology using 3D and ferroelectric technologies. Multibeam Corporation is set to receive up to $140 million for advanced chip packaging, and Extropic, Thintronics, OBSIDIA Semiconductors, and Aeluma would receive investments ranging from $30 million to $75 million for projects in low-power computing, advanced materials, and counterfeit detection. The companies have signed preliminary agreements pending further review, and the government will receive minority, non-controlling equity stakes in return. This follows the Trump administration's award of nearly $2 billion in CHIPS Act funding to nine companies in May, including $1 billion to International Business Machines Corp. and $375 million to GlobalFoundries.

Aeluma has signed a letter of intent with the U.S. Department of Commerce for up to $30 million in proposed funding under the CHIPS and Science Act. The award would support research and development of Aeluma’s scalable, non-InP semiconductor manufacturing platform for photonics, targeting applications in AI, advanced computing, and national security. The funding is part of broader CHIPS R&D incentives aimed at strengthening domestic semiconductor capabilities and supply chain resiliency. The letter of intent contemplates a portion of the award being funded upfront, with the remainder tied to milestone-based project costs and technical progress. Finalization of the award remains subject to further due diligence, government approvals, and execution of definitive documents.