Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1527952
50 PCB007 MAGAZINE I OCTOBER 2024 e COVID-19 pandemic put a spotlight on the fragility of the global supply chain. Disrup- tion has become the new normal. Companies now see that one political decision or other interruption in Asia could bring the electronics industry to its knees. With 90% of the world's PCBs and almost all IC substrates made in Asia, the current state of the electronics sup- ply chain continues to present significant risk to the U.S. market. Other nations are not waiting to reduce their dependency. ey are making sizable invest- ments in their own microelectronics indus- tries. Billions of dollars are being invested on every continent by governments that see the economic opportunity and understand the nexus of industrial policy and national security. PCBAA has been lobbying Congress to sup- port American manufacturing in a similar fash- ion to their support of semiconductor manu- facturing. We have introduced legislation and met with key legislators and policymakers and have seen significant interest from the defense sector. at is gratifying. However, defense is only a fraction of the U.S. market. To com- pete with other countries that are heavily sub- sidized, we need government investment to bring manufacturing back to the U.S. We are now fulfilling 4% of the world's sup- ply of printed circuit boards. At that level, we cannot service the volume of semiconductors projected from the new fabs being built with help from the CHIPS Act. What is the government's approach thus far? So far, policymakers in Washington are looking beyond our borders to support microelectron- ics manufacturing. While they have the stated goal to reduce our dependence on Asia—and There's No Substitute for American-made Microelectronics American Made Advocacy by Shane Whiteside, PCBAA