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The Government Circuit: How IPC Drove Industry Progress Through Public Policy Advocacy in 2024

In 2024, IPC Government Relations continued to shift the narrative about electronics manufacturing in the halls of government, overcoming decades of policymaker indifference in Washington and Brussels. In Asia, where several governments have taken significant strides to foster their domestic electronics ecosystems, IPC broadened its government relations efforts.

In all nations, IPC urges a “silicon-to-systems” strategy, including workforce development, as opposed to focusing primarily or solely on semiconductor chips as the key ingredient in industrial resilience.

Among our most notable policy successes in the United States in 2024 were the following. 

• Defense Industrial Base: The Senate Armed Services Committee included IPC-recommended language in its report on the National Defense Authorization Act, directing the Department of Defense to inform Congress on how it proposes to close industrial base gaps in electronics manufacturing.
• Defense PCBs: The Senate Appropriations Committee included IPC’s recommended language in its report on the FY25 defense spending bill, allocating $45 million in the Defense Production Act account specifically for printed circuit board manufacturing. While Congress has not yet completed its FY25 spending legislation, IPC is continuing to press the industry’s agenda in the new Congress that was seated on Jan. 3.  
• AI data centers: IPC participated in a research project with the U.S. Department of Commerce to identify risks in the supply chain for AI Data Centers. IPC’s report was referenced in the department’s subsequent findings, which recommended federal support to stimulate the domestic PCB and PCB assembly sectors.  
• Government grants: IPC built the association’s first-ever integrated grants program and applied for nearly $70 million in government funding opportunities to drive workforce growth, secure critical supply chains, and advance domestic manufacturing capabilities. IPC’s grants effort builds on its advocacy by ensuring the organization is positioned to capture the strategic investments that will flow from our policy wins.
• Defense electronics innovation: The U.S. Partnership for Assured Electronics (USPAE), an IPC subsidiary, grew to 100+ alliance partners and provided updates, briefings, and a report in partnership with IPC on defense needs for PCBs, substrates, and ultra-high-density interconnect technology. In the fall, the Defense Business Accelerator Microelectronic Challenge and Cluster Accelerator (DBX MC) supported 279 applicants for government funding; selected 25 finalists who pitched their ideas to investors and industry experts; and chose seven awardees to receive a total of $9.6 million from the DoD.

European Call to Action Gets Traction
Meanwhile in Europe, IPC made major strides in elevating electronics as a strategically important industry. Most notably, we collaborated with IPC members and partners in developing a landmark study of the sector and launching a policy “call to action” endorsed by 59 European electronics companies, 17 trade associations, and the European Space Agency. Representatives of the European Commission directorates for industry, defense, and space attended a launch event in Brussels.

IPC’s European policy campaign included a series of letters to the political leaders of the 27 EU Member States and the European Commission, as well as policymaker meetings in multiple countries and the first-ever European Commission delegation visit to a European printed circuit board facility, ACB in Belgium.

IPC facilitated the first-ever participation of the European Commission at electronica24 in Germany, one of the world’s top electronics industry events, including a well attended policy discussion.

Expanding Outreach in Asia
In Asia, IPC’s expanded investments in government relations reflected our commitment to a truly global advocacy program for a truly global industry.

For example, in Japan, IPC partnered with leading business federation Keidanren on a June standards summit and executive luncheon. We engaged Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry on international standards development activities, including advanced packaging and supply chain assurance; and we advocated for government funding for advanced packaging and electronics manufacturing.

In India and Malaysia, we organized the 3rd Annual Integrated Electronics Manufacturing & Interconnections (IEMI) events in Bangalore and Penang, respectively, drawing thousands of industry professionals and pavilions hosted by the governments of Singapore and Malaysia. The key themes included investment in advanced packaging and defense electronics. IPC also secured the involvement of the India Defence Agency in IPC’s standards development activities.

Malaysia is India’s third-largest trading partner in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and India is the largest trading partner for Malaysia in South Asia. Bilateral trade is expected to grow from $20 billion in 2023 to $25 billion by 2026. Both nations are important in the global electronics supply chain, and thus IPC sees semiconductors and electronics manufacturing as key areas for potential collaboration.

How can government policy help or hurt your company in 2025? The IPC Government Relations team welcomes your insights and questions. 

Rest assured we will continue to work across the globe to educate policymakers and influential actors—and to build relationships and partnerships for progress—as we encourage all governments to boost domestic manufacturing capabilities and shore up critical supply chains.

To read more about what IPC accomplished in 2024, click here.

Chris Mitchell is IPC’s VP of global government affairs. Contact him at ChrisMitchell@ipc.org.