Why Experts Are Calling for a New Strategy to Improve U.S. Access to Semiconductors ― The Technology that Underpins Artificial Intelligence

The committee called for “reshoring” of semiconductor production capabilities. Why is this important? How do you think this shift might impact private companies in the U.S. working at the cutting edge of AI development?
Folks: As the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 highlights, the growing dependence of much of our economy on semiconductors creates potential vulnerabilities, since a disruption to the supply creates negative ripple effects — such as we saw during the recent pandemic.

One obvious way to mitigate these risks is to reshore some production facilities, so that the U.S. will have a more reliable supply of chips to support its economy as well as national security. The chips needed for AI are already an intensely valuable resource, and of growing importance. Manufacturing AI chips in North America would increase the resilience of the supply. Further, it is plausible that we could see a ramp up of innovation in AI chip design and production, as a result of having shorter supply chains and closer working relationships between chip design companies and chip manufacturers.

It seems the U.S. is increasingly using AI in a variety of important industries, and that our reliance on it will only go up. How do you think increased demand will impact access to semiconductors, and how do you suggest DOD prepare?
Folks: The highest-performing AI chips are already hard for companies to buy in the needed volumes, and the demand seems likely to keep growing for quite a while. As our report makes clear, it is vital that the DOD find new ways to work closely with the U.S. companies that are designing the best AI chips, so that it can anticipate its own uses for next generation chips and be ahead of the pack in placing orders for the latest technology. The goal should be that the U.S. DOD should be an early adopter of, and the first military user of, new technologies as they emerge. But this will require new and sustained partnerships to be developed between the commercial chip companies and the DOD.

How do you think expertise in the U.S. tech workforce needs to change or grow to support a more robust domestic semiconductor industry?
Folks: Much has been written about the challenges the U.S. is facing to produce sufficient STEM workers to meet its needs and to compete on the global stage. The effort to reshore semiconductor manufacturing will only intensify the demand for STEM workers. So, we need a whole-of-government effort to encourage more students to consider careers in the semiconductor sector early in their academic pathways, so that they can be intentional about acquiring the needed skills. Importantly, new semiconductor-sector jobs are expected to span the academic spectrum, including high school graduates as well as those with post-secondary degrees.

Your report calls for the DOD to prioritize investment in “leap-ahead” semiconductor technologies. Does this include AI, and can you tell me more about what leap-ahead technology could enable?
Folks: Leap-ahead technologies are those that allow companies to fundamentally change the way they make products, rather than just evolving forward from the current technology. Today, we see that it is becoming harder and harder to evolve the current lithography processes to make ever smaller transistors and cram them into closer proximity to each other. Meanwhile, there are a number of promising candidate technologies emerging that may allow us to “leap ahead” to get past these issues and continue on our path to improved microelectronics.

Our report urges the DOD to be diligent in supporting R&D for leap-ahead technologies, so that these inventions will have an IP home in the U.S. and so that the DOD will be able to be among the first adopters of these new technologies. Again, this recommendation is aimed at ensuring that the DOD retains technology superiority over its potential adversaries.

How do you think your report’s findings and recommendations could be used by other government agencies looking to expand their own access to semiconductors?
Folks: All the recommendations that aim to increase the resilience of the semiconductor supply in the U.S. will be broadly beneficial to U.S. government agencies.

Megan Lowry is Manager, Media Relations, at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The article was originally posted to the website of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.