PHOENIX — The U.S. semiconductor industry is moving full steam ahead with more federal and state incentives, more factories and new strategies to make sure the nation can compete in advanced chip manufacturing for years to come.
But to keep the nation's momentum going, state and industry leaders have recognized that further plans are needed for states like Arizona to continue fostering their semiconductor ecosystems, which contain countless vendors, suppliers, ancillary businesses and customers in addition to the chip manufacturers, and to address current barriers and challenges like timelines, costs and limited workforce.
Through a new report released Thursday by the Arizona Commerce Authority, the state said it has created a 10-year roadmap that could aid innovation in semiconductors by focusing on building up, maintaining and supporting infrastructure, supply chains, workforce and entrepreneurship across the U.S. "Despite a global, connected economy, the pandemic disruptions of 2020 exposed the need to enhance resiliency across the entire semiconductor value chain. To ensure national security and economic stability, the U.S. recognized the need to focus on competitiveness in every aspect of the semiconductor industry," said a letter written by ACA President and CEO Sandra Watson in the report.