IPC International Community magazine an association member publication
Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1546580
them it wasn't that long ago that America was dependent on foreign sources of energy. Because of innovation and smart industrial policy, we became a net exporter of energy and the engi- neering prowess to build out infrastructure. With the right industrial policy and govern- ment incentives, we can change our dependency on microelectronics made by our largest global competitor. The Printed Circuit Board Association of America is working with Congress and government agen- cies to provide the policy and legislative support that will ensure the American flag on data centers truly represents what's inside. I-CONNECT007 Shane Whiteside is chair of the Printed Circuit Board Association of America and president and CEO of Summit Interconnect. To read past columns, click here. center in the U.S. and just painting an American flag on the building cannot disguise the fact that the tens of thousands of semiconductors, PCBs, and servers needed to operate them are from Asia, and predominantly from China. One popular solution is to remove China from supply chains through a China Plus One approach, but that is not necessarily the answer. Behind many of the new PCB operations in friendly Asian coun- tries, including Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia, Chinese-backed enterprises are often the inves- tors. This moves the risk geographically but does nothing to reduce the potential negative conse- quences of Chinese influence. While the U.S. debates policy, the rest of the world is deploying capital at unprecedented levels. But if the U.S. continues to run behind, Taipei, not Topeka, and Phuket, not Philadelphia, will benefit from the rapid rise of AI and the data centers that power them. Policymakers in Washington should push for reshoring and the restoration of the PCB industry. When people doubt our ability to bring back Amer- ican microelectronics manufacturing, I remind A M E R I CA N M A D E A DVO CACY 58 I-CONNECT007 MAGAZINE I SEPTEMBER 2026