---
kind: "section"
citation: "42 U.S.C. § 17115a"
title: "42"
title_heading: "The Public Health and Welfare"
number: "17115a"
heading: "Development of national smart manufacturing plan"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/42/17115a"
units:
  - "Chapter 152 — Energy Independence and Security"
  - "Subchapter III — Energy Savings in Buildings and Industry"
  - "Part D — Industrial Energy Efficiency"
---

# §17115a. Development of national smart manufacturing plan

- (a) **In general—** Not later than 3 years after December 27, 2020, the [Secretary](/usc/42/17001.md?p=3) of Energy (in this section referred to as the “[Secretary](/usc/42/17001.md?p=3)”), 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.
- (b) **Content—**
  - (1) **In general—** The plan developed under [subsection (a)](#a) shall identify areas in which [agency](/usc/42/8262.md?p=1) actions by the [Secretary](/usc/42/17001.md?p=3) and other heads of relevant Federal [agencies](/usc/42/8262.md?p=1) would—
    - (A) facilitate quicker development, deployment, and adoption of smart manufacturing technologies and processes;
    - (B) result in greater energy efficiency and lower environmental impacts for all American manufacturers; and
    - (C) enhance competitiveness and strengthen the manufacturing sectors of the United States.
  - (2) **Inclusions—** [Agency](/usc/42/8262.md?p=1) actions identified under [paragraph (1)](#b-1) shall include—
    - (A) an assessment of previous and current actions of the [Department](/usc/42/17001.md?p=1) relating to smart manufacturing;
    - (B) the establishment of voluntary interconnection protocols and performance standards;
    - (C) the use of smart manufacturing to improve energy efficiency and reduce emissions in supply chains across multiple companies;
    - (D) actions to increase cybersecurity in smart manufacturing infrastructure;
    - (E) deployment of existing research results;
    - (F) the leveraging of existing high-performance computing infrastructure; and
    - (G) consideration of the impact of smart manufacturing on existing manufacturing jobs and future manufacturing jobs.
- (c) **Biennial revisions—** Not later than 2 years after the date on which the [Secretary](/usc/42/17001.md?p=3) completes the plan under [subsection (a)](#a), and not less frequently than once every 2 years thereafter, the [Secretary](/usc/42/17001.md?p=3) shall revise the plan to account for advancements in information and communication technology and manufacturing needs.
- (d) **Report—** Annually until the completion of the plan under [subsection (a)](#a), the [Secretary](/usc/42/17001.md?p=3) shall submit to Congress a report on the progress made in developing the plan.
- (e) **Definition—** In this section, the term “smart manufacturing” means advanced technologies in information, automation, monitoring, computation, sensing, modeling, artificial intelligence, analytics, and networking that—
  - (1) digitally—
    - (A) simulate manufacturing production lines;
    - (B) operate computer-controlled manufacturing equipment;
    - (C) monitor and communicate production line status; and
    - (D) manage and optimize energy productivity and cost throughout production;
  - (2) model, simulate, and optimize the energy efficiency of a factory building;
  - (3) monitor and optimize building energy performance;
  - (4) 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;
  - (5) connect manufactured products in networks to monitor and optimize the performance of the networks, including automated network operations; and
  - (6) digitally connect the supply chain network.

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 116–260, div. Z, title VI, § 6006, Dec. 27, 2020, 134 Stat. 2560.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### Codification

Section was enacted as part of the Energy Act of 2020, and not as part of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 which comprises this chapter.