Bipartisan Innovation Act would help Idaho semiconductor manufacturers be competitive

The U.S. is a nation built upon innovation — American innovators pioneered essential technology foundational to our modern lives for decades. In fact, the semiconductor was first manufactured by Americans, we invented the industry but now we’re falling behind.

Unless we act soon, the future of American innovation could face serious consequences. Today, 92% of the world’s most advanced logic semiconductors are manufactured in Taiwan, which has prompted supply chain complications here at home, including a shortage of semiconductor memory that could last as late as 2024.

Insufficient investment in domestic semiconductor manufacturing coupled with the lack of funding for new research has stifled our technology production — both in Idaho and across the country. The semiconductor industry is fast-growing and critical in Idaho. Semiconductor memory and solar power semiconductors were Idaho’s first and third largest exports, respectively, in 2018.

By Jay Larsen