Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), in partnership with the Manufacturing Innovation Institute (CyManII), announced an investment of over $1 million in five projects to help make advanced manufacturing processes and supply chains more cyber-secure. The selected projects will work to not only increase the efficiency of the advanced manufacturing technologies that make our clean energy future possible, but will also directly address existing challenges that make them expensive and difficult to secure. 

“Manufacturing processes and technologies are changing quickly as the sector adapts to increase energy efficiency and resiliency,” said Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Kelly Speakes-Backman. “DOE’s investment in cybersecurity innovation ensures that as we build America’s clean manufacturing future, we’re also securing and protecting our supply chains, industrial control systems, and infrastructure.” 

The five selected projects below cover a range of technical objectives identified by CyManII that strengthen the cybersecurity infrastructure of advanced manufacturing while optimizing energy efficiency:   

  • GE Research: Design, implementation, and demonstration of the building blocks for secure and energy-efficient automation components used in manufacturing.
  • Indiana University: Development of an Industrial Internet of Things-based energy management framework that incorporates smart manufacturing, energy usage, and cybersecurity data to identify and evaluate energy-saving opportunities in real-world industrial environments.
  • Purdue University: Construction of a secure, scalable, open shop-floor data-hub for integrating, assessing, and indexing manufacturing data streams for more efficient access.
  • Texas Tech University: Development of a framework for determining baselines for secure automation of advanced manufacturing, specifically demonstrated in chemical conversion processes.
  • University of California, Irvine and Omnigence: Establishment and evaluation of methods for securing the semiconductor supply chain.  

CyManII was launched September 1, 2020, as DOE’s cybersecurity in energy efficient manufacturing Institute. These selections were the result of CyManII’ s open competitive solicitation and rigorous review process. CyManII is a partner within EERE's Advanced Manufacturing Office and co-managed by DOE’s Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER).