WSC/GAMS Meeting Marks Collaboration and Competition Within Global Semiconductor Community

by Semiconductor Industry Association

WSC/GAMS Meeting Marks Collaboration & Competition Within Global Semiconductor Community

This week the SIA and the U.S government hosted the 12th Governments/Authorities Meeting on Semiconductors (GAMS).  This meeting brings together delegations from China, Chinese Taipei, European Union, Japan, Korea, and the U.S. in a unique model to negotiate and seek agreement on key issues that will affect all SIA member companies and their international trade practices.

No other industry comes together at a CEO level to make recommendations to their governments to ensure that global industry continues to thrive and operate under fair trade practices. As semiconductors are the very cornerstone of the global technology industry, decisions that will be made at this meeting could have far-reaching implications across the global economy.  Past meetings have resulted in tariff reductions, reductions of global warming gases and improvements in intellectual property protections.

This week’s meetings are the culmination of work that first started earlier this year in Fukuoka, Japan at the World Semiconductor Council (WSC). At that meeting representatives from the world’s largest semiconductor designer and manufacturers came together to make recommendations and to seek agreement on how to further global environmental objectives; expand trade in semiconductors through duty free trade agreements; promote international standards; acknowledge public concern on conflict minerals; address regulatory issues; promote intellectual property rights and reaffirm that government stimulus measures be guided by market principles.

The recommendations from the WSC meetings have been discussed and acted upon this week in a meeting with representatives from the government authorities from around the world. The decisions will have important benefits for the future development of semiconductors when they are implemented by each government.

This level of collaboration is wholly unique to the semiconductor industry and is a testament to the fierce competition and global cooperation that have become the hallmarks of innovation.

Stay tuned next week, as we will issue a press statement with comments on the final agreements.