“CHIPS Plus Science” Act Is a Welcome First Step—But Only the Beginning, Not the End of a Competitiveness Agenda, Says ITIF

WASHINGTON—Following U.S. House passage of an amended “CHIPS and Science” legislative package, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), the leading think tank for science and technology policy, released the following statement from ITIF President Robert D. Atkinson:

Kudos to the House and Senate for passing the CHIPS and Science package. President Biden’s signature will mark an important step forward in helping the United States recover its leadership position in semiconductor manufacturing, which is vital for both economic and national security.

The bill also includes a number of other important provisions that ITIF has helped develop and advocate for, including regional innovation hubs, cost-share requirements, the national engineering biology research and development initiative, and the national quantum research cloud.

This is an important step forward—but it is only the beginning, not the end of the competitiveness agenda America needs. One of the bill’s most encouraging provisions in that regard is a formal process for developing a national competitiveness strategy to maintain global leadership in science, technology, research, and innovation as part and parcel of the country’s national security strategy.

President Biden and Congress need to ensure that U.S. competitiveness remains a priority, especially in the face of a rising China. The United States cannot afford to take a lackadaisical approach to global competition and must continue to promote semiconductors and a host of other strategically important industries. Otherwise, the nation will fade into the background of the global economy and lose the power and security that comes with advanced-industry strength.

For more on these issues, see:

• Stephen Ezell, “Why America Needs Semiconductor Legislation to Bolster Its Economic and National Security” (ITIF, January 2022).
• Robert D. Atkinson, et al., “The Case for Growth Centers: How to Spread Tech Innovation Across America” (ITIF, December 2019).
• Hodan Omaar, “Why the United States Needs to Support Near-Term Quantum Computing Applications” (Center for Data Innovation, April 2021).
• Robert D. Atkinson, “The Hamilton Index: Assessing National Performance in the Competition for Advanced Industries” (ITIF, June 2022).