CHIPS Act Readiness: What Diligence Actually Asks For

Published 2026-07-09. 6 min read. By Energy & Deployment Practice, DOE Loans, ARPA-E & OCED.

Practical readiness signals we look for before a team invests in a CHIPS manufacturing package—beyond “we have a fab plan.”

Separate facility economics from R&D narrative

Teams often arrive with a strong technology deck but thin facility economics. CHIPS reviewers need credible capex, opex, yield, and offtake logic—not a DARPA-style breakthrough story. We map whether CHIPS is the right door before drafting.

Workforce and supply-chain evidence

Domestic impact is not a closing paragraph. We build workforce plans, supplier commitments, and ecosystem spillover that match how CHIPS notices score applications. Missing this is one of the most common reasons otherwise strong teams stall in diligence.

Financial and national-security packaging

Lender-grade financials, environmental pathways, and national-security framing should move in parallel—not after the technical volume is “done.” We sequence third-party reports and gap plans early so the package does not collapse under review.