The Marketing Minute: Marketing With Layers
The Right Approach: Electro-Tek—A Williams Family Legacy, Part 1
It’s Only Common Sense: If You’re Not Differentiated, You’re Dead
Governments Struggling With ‘Silicon-to-Systems Approach’
June 11, 2024 | Chris Mitchell, IPC Vice President of Global Government RelationsEstimated reading time: 1 minute
What do you do when you don’t know what to do? That is the conundrum facing U.S. government officials overseeing billions of dollars in strategic investments in the domestic microelectronics industry. Enormous grants are beginning to flow to the chips sector, and after years of IPC advocacy and education efforts, policymakers have gained a clearer picture of the rest of the electronics supply chain, including everything chips depend on to function.
But knowing what to do in a chips-centric world is proving more difficult than expected. In this interview, Chris Mitchell, IPC VP of global government relations, explains the range of challenges facing policymakers in the United States, Europe, and beyond, and IPC’s policy agenda to tackle them.
Over the past several years, IPC has worked to persuade government policymakers to support the entire electronics supply chain, not just semiconductor chips. How is that going?
Chris Mitchell: In response to the COVID pandemic and geopolitical tensions in East Asia, many people thought there would be fundamental changes in how the United States sources electronics. Indeed, we have seen growth domestically in electronics manufacturing and even greater increases in Mexico and in U.S.-friendly countries in Southeast Asia and South Asia.
But for all the concern about industrial resiliency and national security, the underlying realities of the global supply chain haven’t really changed. Asia continues to have some of the most advanced electronics manufacturing capabilities with abundant capacity and access to well-priced base materials. This makes Asia a prime destination for investment in new manufacturing facilities.
The key question for U.S. policymakers and the industry is which electronics technologies and systems should be manufactured in the U.S. given their strategic importance to national security, economic competitiveness, and/or technological leadership? What kind of investments are necessary to ensure such capabilities and capacities are put in place?
The question is not moot, and it is not a matter for tomorrow. Today, the U.S. is equipping its men and women in uniform with less than the very best technologies because key segments of the electronics manufacturing sector do not have the manufacturing capabilities that are state-of-the-practice in Asia.
To read the entire article, which appeared in the June 2024 SMT007 Magazine, click here.
Share on:
Testimonial
"Advertising in PCB007 Magazine has been a great way to showcase our bare board testers to the right audience. The I-Connect007 team makes the process smooth and professional. We’re proud to be featured in such a trusted publication."
Klaus Koziol - atgSuggested Items
Advanced Semiconductor Packaging Market Sees Rising Adoption Across Automotive and Industrial Sectors
10/14/2025 | openPRThe semiconductor packaging market size is estimated to reach at a CAGR of 7.2% during the forecast period (2024-2031).
Imec Launches 300mm GaN Program to Develop Advanced Power Devices and Reduce Manufacturing Costs
10/13/2025 | ImecImec, a world-leading research and innovation hub in nanoelectronics and digital technologies, welcomes AIXTRON, GlobalFoundries, KLA Corporation, Synopsys, and Veeco as first partners in its 300mm gallium-nitride (GaN) open innovation program track for low- and high-voltage power electronics applications.
NEDME Returns October 22 — The Northwest’s Premier Design & Manufacturing Expo
10/13/2025 | NEDMEThe Northwest Electronics Design & Manufacturing Expo (NEDME) returns on Wednesday, October 22, 2025, at Wingspan Event & Conference Center, Hillsboro. The event brings together engineers, product designers, manufacturers, educators, and community partners for a full day of industry connection, learning, and networking.
Critical Minerals: The New Power Play in Global Trade
10/13/2025 | Marcy LaRont, I-Connect007Access to critical minerals essential for electronics manufacturing, and China’s monopoly of them, is increasingly under scrutiny, with gallium (Ga) and germanium (Ge)at the forefront of this discourse. However, all critical minerals imported from China share a similar narrative, and understanding the implications of this dependency and the risks to both U.S. commercial and defense sectors has created an urgent need for a comprehensive electronics strategy to secure and diversify access to these vital minerals. In this candid interview, USPAE Executive Director Jim Will discusses the issues and the mitigation steps that must be taken to adequately address them.
Precision PCB Acquires Assets of Microplace
10/13/2025 | Precision Technologies Inc.Precision Technologies Inc., doing business as Precision PCB, a One-Stop PCB Fabrication and Assembly services company with 27 years of experience providing Quality, Reliability and Excellence in customer service, has acquired the assets of Microplace, Inc.