Industry, State Leaders Publish U.S. Semiconductor Roadmap

PHOENIX, AZ (December 8, 2022) — A diverse coalition representing industry, academia, and states today released a much anticipated blueprint for increasing U.S. competitiveness in the semiconductor industry and strengthening supply chain resiliency.

The National Semiconductor Economic Roadmap (NSER) is a ten-year, industry-led action plan that focuses on driving semiconductor innovation across four domains: infrastructure, supply chain, workforce, and entrepreneurship.

“Arizona’s semiconductor ecosystem is becoming a center of U.S. advanced manufacturing, and Intel is proud to have our hand in driving the actions and investments within the state over the past 40 years to help advance the frontier of semiconductor innovation in the U.S.,” said Tom Rucker, Vice President at Intel Corporation, Technology and Manufacturing Group. “Intel applauds the publication of the National Semiconductor Economic Roadmap which will help schools and businesses align efforts to build a premier semiconductor workforce for the future in the Silicon Desert and beyond.”

Following the launch of the roadmapping initiative in September 2021, participants from more than 50 stakeholder groups representing semiconductor companies, universities and community colleges, trade groups, federal agencies and states contributed to formative discussions. Executive and subcommittees formed over the spring and summer, with more than 20 meetings taking place to gather input.

“TSMC has been a trusted partner to semiconductor innovators for decades, and we are proud to contribute further to the U.S. microelectronics ecosystem through the NSER,” said Rick Cassidy, Chief Executive Officer and President, TSMC Arizona. “As we bring our leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing processes to the United States, TSMC looks forward to supporting greater alignment among stakeholders including government, industry, and academia in key areas such as supply chain, infrastructure, workforce, and innovation.”

“At Samsung Semiconductor, Inc. we are committed to continuing to grow our manufacturing, R&D and workforce footprint in the United States,” said President of Samsung Semiconductor, Inc., EVP of Samsung Electronics Co., Jae Jeong. “Samsung has a long history of contributing to the U.S. manufacturing ecosystem, with $47 billion invested and 20,000 employees across the nation. We are excited to continue investing in local communities and support the expansion of the semiconductor talent pipeline. We welcome the opportunity to contribute to the National Semiconductor Economic Roadmap and look forward to its advancement.”

“As NXP works to accelerate the breakthroughs that advance our world throughout our operations in the United States, we look forward to doing our part to make the NSER’s innovation, supply chain, and manufacturing goals a reality,” said Paul Hart, EVP and General Manager BL Radio Power, NXP Semiconductors. “We applaud the ACA and fellow stakeholders for pulling this vision together – a vision that will attract the next generation of talent to participate in an industry that is enabling the future.”

“Our vision is to make the United States the world’s leading destination for semiconductor investments and innovation- and NSER is our roadmap to get there,” said Arizona Governor Doug Ducey. “My thanks to all the partners across the country who contributed to this historic, industry-led effort. May it be just one of many steps we take together to bolster U.S. semiconductor competitiveness.”

“As Arizona’s experience has shown, states are on the front lines of semiconductor innovation,” said Sandra Watson, President and CEO of the Arizona Commerce Authority. “That’s why the ACA took the initiative to convene this first-of-its-kind, industry-led effort. I’m immensely grateful for the time and expertise our many partners have contributed to creating this robust, actionable plan.”

Along with the NSER participants, the roadmap document was developed in partnership with Boston Consulting Group and the Arizona Commerce Authority.

“Revitalizing American dominance in the semiconductor industry requires a whole-of-nation approach,” said Dr. Michael Crow, President of Arizona State University. “That’s exactly what NSER represents. We’ve been privileged to work alongside leaders from all sectors throughout NSER's development and we stand ready to continue working with partners across the nation to advance Arizona's position as a global microelectronics hub.”

“The passage of the CHIPS Act has opened a new era of semiconductor innovation,” said Dr. Robert Robbins, President of the University of Arizona. “NSER provides the roadmap to fully capitalize on our growing momentum, aligning strategies for workforce, research, infrastructure, and entrepreneurs. The University of Arizona is proud to partner on this historic effort.”

“Northern Arizona University is excited to partner on the NSER roadmap to improve U.S. and Arizona semiconductor competitiveness,” said Northern Arizona University President José Luis Cruz Rivera. “The roadmap provides knowledge and guidance to fully optimize aspects of our chips industry, especially in key areas such as workforce and infrastructure. NAU will continue to lend our expertise to further chip innovation nationwide.”

Key findings include:

• States that have the infrastructure and business environment in place to attract investment are crucial to the National Semiconductor Economic Roadmap. Arizona’s history of semiconductor manufacturing recently saw Intel and TSMC announce new facilities in the region. Improvements to physical infrastructure resources provided by states along with friendly regulations, are the fundamental elements required to ensure sustainable growth in the semiconductor ecosystem.
• For the last five years, the ability to meet current and future skilled talent demand persists as a top concern for over 75% of industry leaders. Current labor shortages expose the industry to threats of production loss and slower innovation and industry growth.
• Current projections show the U.S. share of semiconductor manufacturing declining from 11% to 8% by 2033. If NSER is followed and periodically revisited, in contrast, the U.S. could reasonably capture as much as 18% to 30% of the capital invested in the industry globally over the next ten years and increase its share of global capacity to 12% to 17%.

Find out more about NSER and read the full document HERE.

Media Contact

Alyssa Tufts, Arizona Commerce Authority, [email protected]