Close US-EU ‘Coordination’ Can Boost Chip Supply Chains: SIA

The U.S. and EU should maintain “close coordination” and an “exchange of information” on semiconductor policy and strategy to bolster resilience of the semiconductor supply chains in both regions, blogged Jennifer Meng, Semiconductor Industry Association global policy manager, and Meghan Biery, the association’s director-global technology and security policy. “While geographic specialization has served the global semiconductor industry and its consumers well,” they said Tuesday, “it has also created potential vulnerabilities in the global value chain.” Governments in both regions are trying to introduce and implement policies to encourage investment in “high-risk gaps in the supply chains and to establish a more geographically diverse supplier base,” they said. The U.S. and EU should “jointly analyze the combined strengths and weaknesses” of those policies to ensure “each region’s respective incentive programs are open to the most globally innovative companies,” they said. Promoting information sharing and transparency about each region’s incentive programs can help build supply chain resilience, they said. The inaugural meeting of the U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council convened in Pittsburgh beginning Wednesday with the goal of expanding and deepening trade and transatlantic investment ties, they said. Chips should top the U.S-EU trade partnership "agenda" in Pittsburgh, blogged Al Thompson, Intel vice president-U.S. government relations, and Fernando Loureiro, Intel senior director-government director, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Expanding "advanced semiconductor capabilities" will offer Europe and the U.S. "their best chance to reduce dependency on imports from Asia and elsewhere and re-establish themselves as major producers of computer chips," they said Tuesday. The EU and the U.S. "used to be global leaders in the semiconductor industry," they said. "With political and industry forces aligning to reinstate that leadership, we look forward to seeing the progress made in Pittsburgh this week and beyond."