New US semiconductor factories fast-tracked by House GOP
House of Representatives passed a bill in January designed to speed up the approval process for building new U.S. semiconductor factories. The bill will now go to President Joe Biden for signature.
On Jan. 14, the measure was unanimously approved by the Senate. Environmentalist groups protested its consideration under a suspension of the rules during the House approval process, delaying it temporarily.
House members begin their August recess after today, and midterm congressional elections in 2022 will be in full swing when they return in September. When elections are in August and November, Congress rarely passes major bills.
A number of digital national security and consumer products will be produced as a result of the amendment to the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act of 2015. The bill also cuts the federal red tape in approving new projects, most notably construction of new semiconductor factories.
China currently produces 24 percent of all semiconductors, followed by Taiwan with 21 percent and South Korea at 19 percent. Firms based in the U.S. such as Intel and Texas Instruments account for 10 percent of the world’s semiconductor manufacturing, according to the Semiconductor Industry Association.
30 July 2022
