CHIPS Act Sends $8.5 Billion to Intel for Production in Ohio and Other States

Joe Biden Intel

The U.S. Department of Commerce and Intel Corporation reached a non-binding preliminary memorandum of terms to offer up to $8.5 billion in direct funding via the CHIPS and Science Act to the company in hopes of creating jobs and logic chips in four states.

Intel plans to invest over $100 billion in the United States over the next five years. It also plans to expand its operations in Arizona, New Mexico, Ohio, and Oregon, which it estimates will create over 10,000 manufacturing jobs and nearly 20,000 construction jobs, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Commerce.

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‘Almost Half’ of Phoenix TSMC Workers Were Reportedly Sent from Taiwan

Nearly half of hired workers for the new Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) plant in Phoenix, Arizona are reportedly Taiwanese nationals assigned to the new facility, and are not American citizens or local to Arizona, according to a new report published by the Financial Times on Wednesday.

The troubled TSMC installation has been touted as a major achievement of President Joe Biden and congressional Democrats, but the Financial Times reveals that “almost half of those hired so far are assignees sent from Taiwan,” quoting two sources familiar with TSMC.

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Ryan to Appear with Biden in Ohio Despite President’s Low Approval Rating

U.S. Representative Tim Ryan (D-OH-13), a candidate for U.S. Senate in Ohio, said this weekend that he will make a public appearance alongside President Joe Biden despite the latter’s abysmal approval rating in the Buckeye State.

A July survey from Morning Consult indicated Biden suffered from a -23-point net approval rating in Ohio. Ryan is himself struggling to win sufficient favor with Ohioans in his race against Republican attorney, venture capitalist and author J.D. Vance who maintains a 3.7-point average polling lead against the Democrat according to RealClearPolitics.com. 

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Commentary: Bipartisan CHIPS Act Tackles U.S. Dependence on China

China’s rise to rival the United States as a global superpower has been unprecedented. The last war between empires was centered around an arms race, and ended with the U.S. standing strong and solitary atop the world as the Soviet Union fell. But a new race has begun in those 30 years since. China sprinted ahead of the U.S., this time in the field of technology, and aims to stay there. But Congress and the Biden administration have other ideas.

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Ohio Groups, Lawmakers Praise CHIPS Act Passed to Boost Intel Investment

The lack of federal subsidies Intel said was holding up its planned $20 billion chip plant in suburban Columbus cleared the U.S. Senate on Wednesday.

The CHIPS Act, which passed 64-33, would provide $52 billion to U.S. semiconductor manufacturers to help build plants to make microchips. After announcing in January plans to build and create 3,000 jobs at a microchip facility in Ohio, Intel pulled back over the summer, canceling its July 22 groundbreaking while the federal money remained in limbo.

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Commentary: Onshoring Semiconductor Capacity Is Crucial to National Security

semiconductor

When you think about national security, you probably don’t immediately think about semiconductors. These tiny chips are the “brains” enabling all the computational capabilities and data storage that we take for granted today. Chips power virtually every sector of the economy – including data centers, automotive, healthcare, banking, and agriculture. As a consequence of their widespread use, semiconductors have grown to become a $555 billion global industry, and are the world’s fourth most traded product. Semiconductor manufacturing and advanced packaging have been cited frequently as one of the main critical supply chain priorities for the nation.

A steady source of uninterrupted, trusted chips is necessary for the security of the nation – supporting the readiness of the U.S. military and protecting critical infrastructure like the electric grid. The problem is that most chips are fabricated outside of the U.S., in the vulnerable region of Southeast Asia – hence the security issues. Around three quarters of global chip production capacity comes from Southeast Asia.

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