Securing the Microelectronics Supply Chain: Four Policy Issues for the U.S. Department of Defense to Consider

The ever-tightening financial constraints of semiconductor manufacturing have led to the business reality faced by U.S. consumers and leaders in 2021: The U.S. market share of global semiconductor manufacturing capacity has fallen from about 38 percent in 1990 to 12 percent in 2020 and is expected t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Policy File 2022
Main Authors: Mondschein, Jared, Welburn, Jonathan W, Gonzales, Daniel
Format: Report
Language:English
Subjects:
Infrastructure
RAND Corporation
Online Access:Request full text
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Summary:The ever-tightening financial constraints of semiconductor manufacturing have led to the business reality faced by U.S. consumers and leaders in 2021: The U.S. market share of global semiconductor manufacturing capacity has fallen from about 38 percent in 1990 to 12 percent in 2020 and is expected to decline to less than 10 percent by 2030. The growing realization of these economic trends and their implications for U.S. national and economic security has resulted in a national conversation and a growing chorus of academic, industry, and government stakeholders arguing for varying policy solutions. Out of this dialogue have emerged critical knowledge gaps that will hamper decisionmakers' ability to make informed policy. The authors have identified high-priority questions that should drive U.S. policy but that require additional data and insights, and they explore these questions in this Perspective. Specifically, the authors analyze how the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) could create a coordinated effort to mitigate microelectronics supply chain risk. They explore DoD's demand for microelectronics and reasons why supply chain risk management strategies are necessary to mitigate microelectronics supply chain disruptions. They also consider the appropriate mix of policy levers to promote a microelectronics technology ecosystem that is aligned with U.S. strategic goals. This Perspective is an initial attempt to explore these policy drivers and motivate future analyses.