§4621 Findings

Summary

Congress says the United States needs to protect and regain its lead in semiconductor technology. Semiconductors are key parts of computers, phones, defense gear, and other machines. Sales of that equipment top $230,000,000,000 every year and are a big part of the U.S. economy. U.S. leadership is threatened by foreign competitors whose governments back them. One major foreign rival set a long-term goal to dominate semiconductor research and manufacturing and used government, industry, and schools to reach it. Even though U.S. companies spend a lot on research, it is not enough worldwide. Electronics are crucial to national security, with about 35 percent of the Department of Defense’s research, development, and buying money going to electronics. If action is not taken soon, the military will depend more on foreign semiconductor technology. Congress says the country should work together to fix this. The best approach is a joint research effort by the federal government and private industry to improve semiconductor manufacturing and create useful applications. Priority must be given to developing, testing, and advancing U.S. semiconductor technology. The Department of Energy’s national labs are a major research resource, and using them would help these efforts succeed.