This research documents the supply chains for national security relevant technologies such as cutting-edge semiconductors to understand how the United States can maintain secure access to these technologies, and identify policy options for this country and its allies to preserve a generational lead over peer competitors. It assesses the implications of, and recommends policy actions related to, de-coupling and re-shoring of such supply chains.

Analysis

Through a Glass, Darkly: Mapping Emerging Technologies and Their Supply Chains

John VerWey

| August 2023

Identifying emerging technologies is critical to governments, the private sector, and researchers, but these groups lack a shared analytical approach when it comes to assessing the trajectories of new technologies. To better calibrate efforts to protect and promote emerging technologies, supply chain security research provides a mature, relevant analytical framework.

Formal Response

Comment on NSF RFI on Developing a Roadmap for the Directorate of Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (TIP)

Catherine Aiken

| July 27, 2023

CSET submitted the following comment in response to a Request for Information (RFI) from the National Science Foundation (NSF) about the development of the newly established Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (TIP) Directorate, in accordance with the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022.

Analysis

Betting the House: Leveraging the CHIPS and Science Act to Increase U.S. Microelectronics Supply Chain Resilience

John VerWey

| January 2023

The U.S. semiconductor supply chain’s resilience will meaningfully increase only if current efforts to re-shore fabrication (that is, to situate more facilities that make its key parts in the United States) are met with commensurate efforts to re-shore upstream material production along with downstream assembly, test, and packaging (ATP) of...

CSET’s Must Read Research: A Primer

Tessa Baker

| December 18, 2023

This guide provides a run-down of CSET’s research since 2019 for first-time visitors and long-term fans alike. Quickly get up to speed on our “must-read” research and learn about how we organize our work.

Blumenthal and Hawley’s U.S. AI Act Framework: CSET’s Perspective and Contributions

Tessa Baker

| September 19, 2023

On September 8, 2023, Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Josh Hawley (R-MO) released their Bipartisan Framework on AI Legislation. The framework includes many ideas and recommendations that CSET research has highlighted over the past four years. This blog post highlights some of the most relevant reports and CSET’s perspective on...

John VerWey

Non-Resident Research Fellow

Will Hunt

Commerce Department Fellow

WIRED published an article citing a CSET report authored by John VerWey. The article delves into the increasing water demand in the semiconductor industry as the US aims to enhance chip production. This surge in demand is due to the substantial water usage required for cleaning silicon wafers during the manufacturing process in semiconductor factories.

A policy brief by CSET’s Will Hunt was referenced in an article published by The Financial Times discussing Intel's decision to ignore a new chip-making technology nearly a decade ago and how it has put it and the US behind in the global semiconductor manufacturing race.

The Wall Street Journal referred to a policy brief by CSET's Will Hunt, which analyzes how incentives from the CHIPS Act should be allocated among various types of chips. The article talks about the $53 billion CHIPS Act program, which aims to revive the domestic semiconductor industry by offering subsidies for manufacturing incentives and research and development.