Commerce Dept. launches CHIPS.gov as CHIPS and Science Act signed

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Commerce has launched the CHIPS.gov website in order to assist implementation of the recently signed CHIPS and Science Act of 2022.

Signed on August 25, the CHIPS and Science Act seeks to address lowering the costs of goods and creating high paying manufacturing industry jobs. Foremost among them the Semiconductor industry where the government hopes to shore up supply chain weaknesses made evident by the onset of the pandemic in 2020 and tremulous politics surrounding Taiwan.

“Companies are investing in America again, bringing good-paying manufacturing jobs back home. The construction of new manufacturing facilities has increased 116 percent over last year," the White House said in a statement, adding that the CHIPS and Science Act will, “…strengthen American manufacturing, supply chains, and national security, and invest in research and development, science and technology, and the workforce of the future to keep the United States the leader in the industries of tomorrow, including nanotechnology, clean energy, quantum computing, and artificial intelligence.  The CHIPS and Science Act makes the smart investments so that American to compete in and win the future.”

Dependency on foreign semiconductor and microchip manufacturing has long been a thorn in the side of both national, corporate, and domestic security. Telecommunications manufacturer Huawei has been under repeated scrutiny for what security experts say are its efforts to spy on people and governments abroad using its products and technology. Counterintelligence operations by the FBI indicated the company continues to seek building cell towers and other equipment next to strategic U.S. properties like military bases. The United States banned companies from using Huawei’s networking equipment as far back as 2012. The passage of the act has seen Chinese chips suppliers decrying unfair practices and threatening disruptions to the already strained semiconductor supply chains across state sponsored media in the days leading up to the signing.
 
The CHIPS Act will see domestic companies receiving roughly $52 billion towards research and development. “We’ll enable the private sector to invest and thrive by using government investments to minimize risk, fill market gaps, and reduce uncertainties,” said U.S. Secretary of CommerceG ina Raimondo. “We’ll provide incentives to create new partnerships and promote industry collaborations to meet the complex needs of the semiconductor ecosystem.”

The CHIPS.gov website is set to serve as a central resource for all things regarding the implementation of the act’s programs. The Commerce Department stated that users will be able to access information on initiatives, funding opportunities, timelines, requirements and more that will become available as time goes on.  

The full briefing on the passage of the act can be found at www.whitehouse.gov.