On June 17, 2026, SandboxAQ announced a definitive agreement with the U.S. Department of Commerce's CHIPS Research and Development Office for a $500 million award to address one of the most urgent challenges in American manufacturing: the foreign control of critical materials and chemistries that are essential to semiconductor manufacturing. Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati advised SandboxAQ on the transaction.

The award provides funding to develop novel molecules and formulations for semiconductor manufacturing within four programmatic areas: PFAS-free process chemicals, catalysts, rare earth-free magnets, and battery systems. SandboxAQ will use physics-based AI to develop, validate, and then commercialize critical formulations for American semiconductor manufacturing and to drive national security needs.

The Wilson Sonsini team that advised SandboxAQ on the transaction includes Allison Spinner, Andy Gillman, Cody Gaynor, and Madisyn Klein.

For more information, please see SandboxAQ's and the National Institute of Standards and Technology's news releases. Additional coverage can be found on Reuters.