National Programs to Support the Semiconductor Industry

This exceptional conference, held on 20 October 2000 at the National Academy of Sciences building in Washington, DC, gathered leading experts in the field of semiconductors from the United States, Europe, Japan, and Taiwan to describe current programs to support the development of the semiconductor industry, discuss common challenges, and review opportunities for international cooperation. Speakers included leading industry figures knowledgeable about the major consortia, such as Gordon Moore of Intel Corporation, William Spencer of SEMATECH, Jurgen Knorr of MEDEA, Akihiko Morino of SELETE, Hideo Setoya of ASET, and Genda Hu of TSMC. Presentations and discussion drew on both domestic and international experience and provided an opportunity to compare and contrast similar programs to support this building-block industry of the New Economy.

As the agenda shows (see below), this was a unique event for the Academy and the industry. By bringing together representatives from the world's major cooperative programs, common technological challenges to the continued phenomenal growth of the semiconductor industry were identified. Current progress with international cooperation was reviewed as well as new opportunities for collaborative activitites.

Many analysts believe that the unique period of productivity growth currently experienced by the U.S. economy is largely stimulated by the large-scale integration of information technology, which in turn rests on the continued progress of the global semiconductor industry. This conference focused on the cooperative efforts underway in the United States and other leading high-tech regions to maintain and encourage this exceptional growth. A report, including a summary of the conference proceedings, commissioned research, and findings and recommendations is in preparation.

Meetings:

Symposium on National Programs to Support the Semiconductor Industry (October 20, 2000)

For additional information, please contact McAlister Clabaugh at 202-334-1529 or mclabaug@nas.edu[Mailto:mclabaug@nas.edu].