Title 15, Commerce and TradeRelease 119-102

§4621 Findings

Title 15 › CHAPTER 72 — SEMICONDUCTOR RESEARCH › SUBCHAPTER II — DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY SEMICONDUCTOR TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH EXCELLENCE INITIATIVE › § 4621

Last updated Aug 21, 2026|Official source

Summary

Congress finds that semiconductors and related microelectronic devices are essential to computers, telecom gear, advanced defense systems, and other equipment, and that sales of this equipment exceed $230,000,000,000 a year. U.S. leadership in advanced technology is threatened by stronger foreign competitors, many backed by their governments. One major foreign competitor set a long-term goal to dominate semiconductor research and manufacturing and used government, industry, and universities to pursue it. The U.S. industry spends a lot on research, but not enough by global standards. Electronics are critical to national security—about 35 percent of the Department of Defense’s research, development, and procurement budgets go to electronics research. Without quick action, the Armed Forces may rely on foreign semiconductor technology. To protect security and the economy, the U.S. should regain world leadership through a joint federal and private research effort to improve manufacturing and practical uses, and should involve the Department of Energy’s national labs.

Full Legal Text

Title 15, §4621

Commerce and Trade, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

Congress makes the following findings:

(1)Semiconductors and related microelectronic devices are key components in computers, telecommunications equipment, advanced defense systems, and other equipment.

(2)Aggregate sales of such equipment, in excess of $230,000,000,000 annually, comprise a significant portion of the gross national product of the United States.

(3)The leadership position of the United States in advanced technology is threatened by (A) competition from foreign businesses which is promoted and facilitated by the increasingly active involvement of foreign governments, and (B) other changes in the nature of foreign competition.

(4)The principal cause of the relative shift in strength of the United States and its semiconductor competitors is the establishment of a long-term goal by a major foreign competitor to achieve world superiority in semiconductor research and manufacturing technology and the pursuit of such goal by that competitor by effectively marshalling all of the government, industry, and academic resources needed to achieve that goal.

(5)Although the United States semiconductor industry leads all other principal United States industries in terms of its reinvestment in research and development, that has been insufficient by worldwide standards.

(6)Electronic equipment is essential to protect the national security of the United States, as is evidenced by the allocation of approximately 35 percent of the total research, development, and procurement budgets of the Department of Defense to electronics research.

(7)The Armed Forces of the United States will eventually depend extensively on foreign semiconductor technology unless significant steps are taken, and taken at an early date, to retain United States leadership in semiconductor technology research.

(8)It is in the interests of the national security and national economy of the United States for the United States to regain its traditional world leadership in the field of semiconductors.

(9)The most effective means of regaining that leadership is through a joint research effort of the Federal Government and private industry of the United States to improve semiconductor manufacturing technology and to develop practical uses for such technology.

(10)In order to meet the national defense needs of the United States and to insure the continued vitality of a commercial manufacturing base in the United States, it is essential that priority be given to the development, demonstration, and advancement of the semiconductor technology base in the United States.

(11)The national laboratories of the Department of Energy are a major national research resource, and the extensive involvement of such laboratories in the semiconductor research initiatives of the Federal Government and private industry would be an effective use of such laboratories and would help insure the success of such initiatives.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

15 U.S.C. § 4621

Title 15, Commerce and Trade

Last Updated

Aug 21, 2026

Release point: 119-102