Pentagon to Contribute $75 Million to Silicon Valley Initiative

Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced the Pentagon is contributing $75 million to a San Jose, Calif.-based initiative known as the “Flexible Hybrid Electronics Manufacturing Innovation Hub.”

The initiative seeks to develop a new technology incorporating “flexible” electronics that could replicate human skin on wounded troops or be used in ships and jets.

The contribution, Carter says, is part of an Obama administration effort to boost investment and innovation in emerging technologies, including 3-D printing, lightweight metals and digital manufacturing and design.

Carter added that the initiative is part of a broader effort of the Pentagon to unite the bureaucracy within the Defense Department and innovators in Silicon Valley. — Michael Cipriano