Diamond is more than just a gemstone; it is the hardest natural substance on Earth with exceptional qualities for improving semiconductors — the materials used in electronics, electric vehicles and renewable energy technologies.

Michigan State University has received a $3 million National Science Foundation grant as part of the NSF’s Future Manufacturing program in collaboration with teams at the Fraunhofer USA Center Midwest and Fraunhofer USA Center Mid-Atlantic. The teams are using artificial intelligence to grow high-quality diamond in labs, which could be the key to the future of semiconductor manufacturing and advancing workforce talent in the U.S.

“This is a tremendous opportunity to explore how AI can improve semiconductor manufacturing processes and to develop pathways for our workforce to shift to Industry 4.0 careers converging digital and physical technologies,” said John Papapolymerou, interim dean of the College of Engineering. “With the help of the NSF, our world-class researchers at MSU and collaborators at Fraunhofer are positioned to make significant contributions to the future of semiconductor production in the U.S.”

But growing high-quality laboratory diamonds is a lot harder than it seems.