OP-ED: To win the chip war, the U.S. must prioritize revolutionary research
Chip Capitols in The Washington Post
Chris Miller (author of Chip War), Jordan Schneider (host of ChinaTalk), and I penned a piece in The Washington Post, arguing how the National Semiconductor Technology Center (NSTC) funded by the CHIPS Act can be structured to become a unique, enduring institution in the US chip ecosystem.
This op-ed follows my and Jordan’s Institute for Progress report entitled, How to Make the NSTC a Moonshot Success. Check out that report for all the bureaucratic nuts and bolts on how this once-in-a-generation public-private partnership can become a visionary innovation machine that is both cooperative with and independent of industry incumbents.
The full WaPo op-ed is available here. Below is an excerpt from our piece:
Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo has described the effort to boost the U.S. semiconductor industry as a technological moonshot — a mirror of NASA’s famed Apollo program. But this moonshot can only succeed if those behind it dare to dream big — and dream up revolutionary technologies…
Industry naturally wants the NSTC to focus on supporting existing road maps. Memory-chip firms want a memory-focused R&D center, while companies making communications chips want research focused in that direction. But structuring itself around existing categories would bias the NSTC toward incremental improvements rather than new moonshot bets.
… [The NSTC] can be only as ambitious as its structure allows. It needs support from industry, but, in its early years, it should establish its independence by focusing on long-term research that could transform the whole industry rather than simply aligning its aims with existing corporate road maps."