Semiconductor Industry Provides Recommendations to Commerce Department on CHIPS Act Implementation

by Semiconductor Industry Association

SIA on March 25 submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Commerce in response to a Request for Information (RFI) related to implementation of the CHIPS for America Act, legislation that would provide needed investments in domestic semiconductor research, design, and manufacturing. The House and Senate have both passed $52 billion in funding for the CHIPS Act, and now both chambers must reconcile differences in their respective underlying bills and send a compromise version to the President to be signed into law.

The Commerce Department RFI requested direction on semiconductor manufacturing incentives, the proposed expansion of the lab-to-fab pipeline with the establishment of a National Semiconductor Technology Center and National Advanced Packaging Manufacturing Program, and on how the government can address industry workforce needs. The RFI received strong response from the semiconductor community, with 233 public comments submitted by the chip industry and adjacent sectors.

SIA’s response emphasized several high-level priorities, including:

• The need for timely action on manufacturing incentives to fill in gaps and vulnerabilities in the semiconductor supply chain
• The broad range of activities that should be supported such as fabs, packaging facilities, and research labs, as well as equipment and materials suppliers
• The value of industry direction and coordination at the highest levels of leadership for new pre-competitive research and prototyping efforts
• The importance of cooperating with likeminded strategic partners across the globe for both R&D and supply chain efforts
• The central role of workforce development needs across the entire set of CHIPS for America priorities

We look forward to continuing to work with the Commerce Department, other leaders in the Biden Administration, and Congress to ensure swift enactment and thoughtful implementation of critical CHIPS Act initiatives.