Congress’ CHIPS and Science Act was signed into law on the promise of jump-starting research and development and building a more inclusive technical workforce. Community colleges, which serve the majority of higher education’s low-income students and students of color, must be included in the conversation, experts say.
The law has spurred private investments for semiconductor production since the bill was introduced in spring of 2020, according to the Semiconductor Industry Association. More than 40 new semiconductor ecosystem projects were announced across the country, nearly $200 billion in investments were announced across 16 states to increase domestic manufacturing capacity, and 40,000 new jobs were announced in the semiconductor ecosystem as part of the new projects.
