Multi-Billion-Dollar Semiconductor Center Belongs in Oregon, is The Governor’s Clear Message
Governor Tina Kotek is applying laser focus attention on Oregon in a bid to pursue the Biden Administration to choose Oregon as the home of its new $5 billion National Semiconductor Technology Center (NSTC).
The governor is sending a “clear message” to Washington stating that the Biden Administration’s proposed new multi-billion-dollar semiconductor center belongs in Oregon.
Oregon Offers All the Ingredients Needed for Success
The governor says that Oregon has all the ingredients needed to become the home of the semiconductor center. Addressing an Intel event in Hillsboro yesterday (Monday), Kotek pointed out that Oregon is already home to a leading-edge semiconductor company, and offers world-class talent, foundational support, and partnerships with higher education institutions.
Although no guidelines have yet been sent to states to compete to host the center, Gov. Kotek is wasting no time sending a “clear message” about Oregon’s attributes to Washington. “We want that (semiconductor) center here,” she stated at the Intel gathering, adding her voice to a growing list of top state officials vying for the project to be established on their home turf.
In February, the White House announced a +$5 billion investment in a CHIPS R&D program, including the National Semiconductor Technology Center (NSTC). The announcement includes hundreds of millions of dollars of expected investment in a semiconductor workforce, as well as funding in metrology, packaging, and a CHIPS Manufacturing USA Institute.
Project Will Accelerate Innovation from Embryo to Marketplace
The project will unite customers, educational institutions, entrepreneurs, government, industry, investors. labor, and suppliers to accelerate new innovations from embryo to marketplace. As a public-private consortium, the NSTC will lower barriers to participation in semiconductor R&D, and create a vibrant national ecosystem to address fundamental needs for a diverse and skilled semiconductor workforce.
Kotek says there is no other place in the U.S. that can compete with Oregon’s level of semiconductor manufacturing and research. This is illustrated by Intel’s innovative machine that will build more efficient chips. Gov. Kotek points out that the first-of-its-kind machine will help cement Intel and, by association Oregon, as leaders in emerging semiconductor technology.
By March, 33,000 Oregonians were employed by the semiconductor industry, entailing development, design, research, and computer chip manufacturing. State economists estimate that this number will increase by a further 3,000 jobs over the next eight years.
References
Biden-Harris Administration Launches Next Phase for Over $5 Billion in CHIPS R&D Investments