§4621 Findings

Summary

Congress says semiconductors and related microchips are critical parts of computers, phones, military systems, and other machines. Products using these parts bring in more than $230,000,000,000 each year for the U.S. economy. U.S. leadership in advanced tech is at risk because foreign companies, helped by their governments, are becoming stronger. One major foreign competitor set a long-term goal to lead the world in chip research and manufacturing and has used its government, industry, and universities to reach that goal. Although U.S. companies spend a lot on research, it is not enough by world standards. Electronics make up about 35 percent of Defense Department research spending, and the military could end up relying on foreign chips unless the United States acts soon. Congress finds that the best way to win back leadership is by having the federal government and private industry do joint research to improve manufacturing and develop real uses for the technology, with priority given to developing and demonstrating the U.S. semiconductor technology base. The Department of Energy’s national labs are a major research resource and should be involved to help make these efforts work.