42 U.S.C. § 17115a: Development of national smart manufacturing plan

Not later than 3 years after December 27, 2020 , the Secretary of Energy (in this section referred to as the “Secretary”), in consultation with the National Academies, shall develop and complete a national plan for smart manufacturing technology development and deployment to improve the productivity and energy efficiency of the manufacturing sector of the United States. facilitate quicker development, deployment, and adoption of smart manufacturing technologies and processes; result in greater energy efficiency and lower environmental impacts for all American manufacturers; and enhance competitiveness and strengthen the manufacturing sectors of the United States. an assessment of previous and current actions of the Department relating to smart manufacturing; the establishment of voluntary interconnection protocols and performance standards; the use of smart manufacturing to improve energy efficiency and reduce emissions in supply chains across multiple companies; actions to increase cybersecurity in smart manufacturing infrastructure; deployment of existing research results; the leveraging of existing high-performance computing infrastructure; and consideration of the impact of smart manufacturing on existing manufacturing jobs and future manufacturing jobs. Not later than 2 years after the date on which the Secretary completes the plan under subsection (a), and not less frequently than once every 2 years thereafter, the Secretary shall revise the plan to account for advancements in information and communication technology and manufacturing needs. Annually until the completion of the plan under subsection (a), the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on the progress made in developing the plan. simulate manufacturing production lines; operate computer-controlled manufacturing equipment; monitor and communicate production line status; and manage and optimize energy productivity and cost throughout production; model, simulate, and optimize the energy efficiency of a factory building; monitor and optimize building energy performance; model, simulate, and optimize the design of energy efficient and sustainable products, including the use of digital prototyping and additive manufacturing to enhance product design; connect manufactured products in networks to monitor and optimize the performance of the networks, including automated network operations; and digitally connect the supply chain network.