Microelectronics

Microelectronics

The U.S. economy and the Department of Defense (DoD) rely on a trusted and assured supply of microelectronics to enable seemingly every aspect of modern essential civilian and military system—from consumer electronics and automobiles to warfighter communications and satellites. Though frequently overlooked or taken for granted, these extremely small components enable some of the biggest features the U.S. needs for its most cutting-edge applications. Unfortunately, domestic design and manufacturing capacity and capabilities have struggled to maintain leadership in the global marketplace due to previous lack of investment and policy measures that protect U.S. industry interests. Further complicating matters for the DoD is the unique security and performance requirements of defense systems that necessitate a secure, well-understood supply chain, from initial research and development to fabrication, packaging, integration, and installation.

To address these challenges, the U.S. federal government has begun to implement sweeping policy changes and significant funding to catalyze the restoration of the U.S. domestic microelectronics research and manufacturing base. These solutions do not focus solely on defense needs, but also factor in essential civilian industries that require cutting edge technology for applications such as communications, space exploration, aerospace, automotive, and countless others. The goal is to protect existing capabilities and re-establish a microelectronics industry that can lead technically and compete globally in all aspects of microelectronic design development and manufacturing. The planned public-private partnerships that will be established have the potential to transform and reset the competitive landscape for domestic organizations for many years to come.

SMI has an experienced team of policy experts, lobbyists, former industry executives, and government leaders that all work together to analyze and create comprehensive, actionable plans to facilitate public-private partnerships with its clients. SMI continues to work with large and small businesses and other research organizations to create opportunities and is well-positioned to drive success for each of its clients to making a last impact for this industry.