SEMI calls on Biden to reinvigorate US semiconductor manufacturing

In a letter sent to President Biden, SEMI and 16 organisations representing industries including automotive, medical and technology urged the Biden administration to bolster domestic semiconductor manufacturing and research. The letter calls for funding the initiatives authorised in the CHIPS for America Act and the enactment of a federal investment tax credit (ITC) for semiconductor manufacturing facilities and equipment that would quickly provide a significant, direct and transparent incentive to all companies investing in new and expanded semiconductor facilities in the United States. While U.S.-headquartered companies account for nearly half of global semiconductor sales and lead in market share across semiconductor manufacturing equipment, design software and key materials, only 12% of global semiconductor manufacturing capacity is located in the U.S. Robust incentives in other countries and the lack of a federal U.S. incentive have contributed to a 50% decline in the U.S. share of global semiconductor manufacturing capacity over the past 20 years. Funding the bipartisan CHIPS for America Act, passed in last year’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), and enacting an ITC for semiconductor investments would create strong incentives and public investments to support the semiconductor industry in driving innovation across sectors throughout the economy and would help spur the creation of thousands of new jobs nationwide. “Increased federal investments in semiconductor research and manufacturing will enable critical innovation that benefits a wide range of industries that rely on semiconductors, as evidenced by the organizations that cosigned this letter,” says Ajit Manocha, SEMI president and CEO, in a press release. “To reverse the declining U.S. share of global semiconductor manufacturing, we call for funding incentive programs passed last year in the NDAA and enacting an investment tax credit that would be an immediate, broad-based incentive to build new and expanded manufacturing capacity at all technology nodes.”