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The fresh fall air in Geneva this week appears to mirror the possibilities and benefits inherent in another expansion of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Information Technology Agreement (ITA), originally launched by the WTO in 1997 to eliminate tariffs on a broad swath of tech products, from cell phones to computers. By 2015, 53 nations […]

While the weather forecast this week in Geneva calls for lots of clouds and rain, the mood of the sizable global industry delegation here to talk expanding the WTO’s Information Technology Agreement (ITA) for a second time is downright sunny. It’s always great to be back in this town working on an affirmative effort to […]

The fate of a quarter-century old agreement that has served as a foundation for global digital trade will be decided in a week when trade ministers from around the world meet in Geneva for the 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Since 1998, the WTO has maintained a moratorium on customs […]

With a lot of auspicious sunny weather forecast for the week, a sizable high-tech industry delegation is converging on Geneva to advance the idea of again expanding product coverage of the Information Technology Agreement (ITA), originally launched by the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 1997 to eliminate tariffs on a broad swath of tech products […]

On April 12 at the White House, with top CEOs from the semiconductor, automotive, and other sectors joining via teleconference to discuss the ongoing global chip shortage and securing our supply chains, President Biden held up a silicon wafer bristling with semiconductors and said, “This is infrastructure.” The President went on to underscore the importance […]

In response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the semiconductor industry is focused on ensuring the health and safety of its workers and the continuity of its research, design, and manufacturing operations. This is critically important in our battle against this terrible virus because semiconductors support vital parts of the global economy, critical infrastructure, and national […]

An independent study released today by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) concludes America’s longstanding leadership in semiconductors is put at risk by broad restrictions on U.S. exports of commercial chip technologies to China. The BCG report was commissioned by SIA to help inform the public discussion on the impact of trade restrictions on our industry, […]

The White House and House Democrats today reached a deal on the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), paving the way for congressional passage of the North American trade pact. SIA welcomes today’s agreement and urges swift ratification of the USMCA. The USMCA is a big win for free trade and America’s global technology leadership. The agreement will […]

America is in a race with global competitors to win the technologies of the future, including artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and 5G and 6G wireless networks. Semiconductor innovation is the engine that drives all these promising technologies. As Congress turns to the budget, setting aside research funds to keep America the world leader in semiconductor […]

Artificial intelligence – enabled by tremendous advances in semiconductor technology – holds the potential to greatly benefit society and strengthen America’s economy, national security, and global technology leadership. We welcome President Trump’s executive order, signed earlier today, launching an “American AI Initiative” and look forward to working with his Administration and Congress to ensure this […]

With the 116th Congress well underway and President Trump set to deliver his annual State of the Union Address tonight, policymakers are hard at work setting the legislative agenda for 2019. Figuring prominently into the policy debate in the nation’s capital are several issues of great significance to the U.S. semiconductor industry, including trade, export control, […]

If you unlocked your smart phone right now, how many of your apps would need updating? Patches and updates are a regular part of our connected lives. But imagine if every update required you to work with the app maker, phone service provider, phone manufacturer, phone operating system provider, and the dozen or so semiconductor […]

During last night’s State of the Union Address, President Trump highlighted achievements from his first year in office and laid out his policy agenda for 2018. The President touched on a range of issues, including some of great significance to the U.S. semiconductor industry, such as tax, trade, and immigration. Moving forward, SIA remains focused […]

Semiconductors, the brains of modern electronics, are integral to America’s economic, technological, and military infrastructure. Funding increases for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and other Defense Department agencies outlined in the White House budget proposal unveiled today would strengthen long-range semiconductor research, enhance the U.S. semiconductor industry’s positive impacts on our country, and […]

As the Information Technology Agreement (ITA) turns 20 this year, a think tank in Washington, D.C. today released an important new report on the wide-ranging economic benefits of this pioneering trade pact to developing countries. Co-authored by Stephen Ezell and John Wu of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), the study does a deep […]

Despite the forces of globalization that have pulled so much manufacturing overseas, the United States is still the worldwide leader of the semiconductor industry, capturing nearly half of the global market. Indeed, the U.S. is home to a robust semiconductor manufacturing and design sector and has consistently maintained a trade surplus in semiconductors for at […]

Global trade just got a whole lot easier today with announcement by the World Trade Organization (WTO) of the successful ratification of the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA), a landmark 164-country deal that will lower costs for consumers and promote growth in economies big and small the world over. The semiconductor industry has long advocated for […]

With the presidential inauguration behind us and the 115th Congress now underway, SIA is focused on working with the Trump Administration and Congress to enact policies that will strengthen the U.S. semiconductor industry, the broader tech sector, and our economy. The unifying goal of our 8-point policy plan, outlined below, is to promote U.S. job […]

SIA today welcomed the release of a new report by the President’s Council of Advisors on Science & Technology (PCAST) Semiconductor Working Group outlining the strategic importance of the U.S. semiconductor industry and the challenges that must be overcome to ensure continued U.S. leadership of semiconductor technology. SIA thanks the distinguished members of the PCAST […]

SIA sent a letter to President-elect Donald Trump this week outlining a series of policy recommendations to strengthen the U.S. semiconductor industry, American innovation, and our economy. SIA’s policy plan calls for investing in basic research, enacting pro-growth corporate tax reform, ensuring free and fair access to global markets, strengthening America’s technology workforce, and promoting advanced […]

SIA and the entire semiconductor community are saddened by the recent passing of Erich Bloch, former vice president at IBM, director of the National Science Foundation, and founding chairman of the Semiconductor Research Corporation. Bloch passed away on Friday, Nov. 25, 2016 at the age of 91.

The President’s Council of Advisors on Science & Technology (PCAST) today announced the launch of a new Semiconductor Working Group that will provide recommendations to PCAST to consider in its report to the President regarding current challenges facing the semiconductor industry, including the rapid rise of semiconductor capabilities abroad. SIA welcomes this timely announcement, given […]

Throughout the many months of heated political rhetoric on trade this election cycle, one constant has been the unwavering and full-throated support from America’s most innovative companies for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a landmark agreement that would tear down numerous barriers to trade with Pacific Rim countries. SIA and a coalition of tech leaders today […]

After more than four years of often turbulent negotiations to expand the Information Technology Agreement (ITA), tariffs on roughly $1.3 trillion in trade in tech products finally start marching to zero today. All in, the agreement will boost the global economy by an estimated $190 billion annually, spur productivity in developing and developed economies, and […]

SIA members Intel Corporation and Samsung Electronics today announced the launch of the National IoT Strategy Dialogue, an initiative that will bring together industry partners and organizations to collaboratively develop policy recommendations to advance the Internet of Things (IoT). We applaud Intel and Samsung for leading this critical effort, to be convened by the Information […]

The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) has found what SIA has long held: the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) would strengthen U.S. economic growth, increase U.S. exports, and create U.S. jobs. In a report released yesterday, the ITC found by 2032 the TPP would increase U.S. annual real income by $57.3 billion, boost U.S. GDP by $42.7 […]

As the presidential election year comes into sharper focus this week, the tech community is weighing in with the priorities it believes should be central to the public debate in the months ahead – priorities that are critical to sustaining a strong America and a strong American economy. In an open letter sent today to […]

Trade has been a frequent and heated topic of debate in the presidential campaign, including the economic impacts of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement. Too often lost in the political rhetoric is this simple truth – the TPP would not only strengthen the U.S. economy but also America’s position of leadership in the world. A […]

SIA has long championed federal policies that promote U.S. innovation, economic growth, and global competitiveness. Now that the 114th Congress has reached its midpoint and lawmakers have resumed legislative work in the new year, it’s a good time to assess the progress made in 2015 on some of the semiconductor industry’s policy priorities and the […]

During tonight’s State of the Union address, President Obama outlined a vision for America’s future that includes priorities of great significance to the tech industry. SIA applauds the President’s support for policies to advance U.S. innovation. We also strongly support his call for congressional approval of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), an enormous, landmark trade agreement that […]

NAIROBI — At long last, the effort to expand the Information Technology Agreement (ITA) is now irreversibly bound for implementation July 1, 2016 after negotiators attending the 10th WTO Ministerial Conference in this capital city of Kenya reached final agreement on the phase-out periods for the 201 tariff lines covered by this landmark trade pact. […]

After achieving significant progress this week to put the finishing touches on the three-year effort to expand the Information Technology Agreement (ITA), officials in Geneva were hoping the last big piece of the puzzle would fall into place today to get the negotiations completed before the WTO Ministerial Conference convenes in Nairobi next week. That […]

GENEVA – Negotiators working to expand product coverage of the Information Technology Agreement (ITA) held a series of meetings this week here that amounted to an initial “show-and-tell” on how far they are willing to go when it comes to assigning specific timeframes for tariff elimination for the myriad tech products covered by the agreement. […]

Dustin Todd, director of government affairs at SIA, this week became co-chairman of the Task Force on American Innovation (TFAI), a coalition of U.S. companies, research universities, and scientific societies that promotes federal investments in scientific research. Dustin succeeds Texas Instruments’ Gene Irisari, who did a tremendous job advancing the coalition’s research priorities over the […]

SIA and the entire semiconductor community are deeply saddened by the recent passing of Thomas David Hinkelman, one of the first leaders of SIA and a true semiconductor industry champion. Tom served as SIA’s Executive Director from 1977-1985, helping guide the association and our industry through a period of great transition and growth. He later […]

Yesterday, we learned Taiwan had officially decided to support the product list to expand the scope of the Information Technology Agreement (ITA). Today, the good news keeps rolling in with Thailand now joining the larger group of negotiating parties to the agreement that finalized the list last Friday. With this, Thailand has delivered the all-important […]

Following the good news on Friday the product list to expand the scope of the Information Technology Agreement (ITA) was formally approved in Geneva, Taiwan today has decided to climb on board to officially support the list and the accompanying declaration.

Following a tense, last-minute dust up, an agreement on the product list to expand the scope of the Information Technology Agreement (ITA) won final approval today by all but a handful of the 54 countries involved in the talks during a meeting of ambassadors in Geneva. This is a decisive step forward in the hard-fought, […]

GENEVA – As negotiations to expand the product scope of the Information Technology Agreement (ITA) got under way this morning, Geneva was cloaked in dreary, gray skies. But by this afternoon, the clouds had swept past, a brilliant sun emerged, and the ambassadors from the members of World Trade Organization (WTO) involved in the talks […]

With negotiations to expand product coverage of the Information Technology Agreement (ITA) finally back on track, global industry today issued an unambiguous call to the negotiating parties to reach agreement next week on the scope of products to be covered in this bold initiative. In a statement released today, more than 80 associations from around […]

SIA is encouraged the House of Representatives today voted in favor of Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) on a bipartisan basis, but we are disappointed it failed to approve accompanying legislation that would allow TPA to be signed into law by the president. The failure to get TPA across the finish line is a missed opportunity […]

With much at stake for the semiconductor industry, the U.S. economy, and our country’s standing in the world, the House of Representatives looks poised to vote this week on bipartisan Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) legislation. SIA has long advocated for TPA and yesterday joined a coalition of technology leaders asking the House to swiftly approve […]

On Friday night, the U.S. Senate approved bipartisan Trade Promotion Authority legislation that would foster free trade, promote job creation, and spur growth in the semiconductor industry and throughout the U.S. economy. SIA applauds the Senate for passing this much-needed legislation and urges the House of Representatives to move quickly to do the same. The […]

This week, House and Senate committees are considering the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015 (TPA-2015), legislation that would enable free trade agreements, strengthen the U.S. semiconductor industry, and promote job creation and growth throughout the U.S. economy. The Senate Finance Committee approved the bill late yesterday with bipartisan support, and the […]

SIA and a coalition of technology leaders today urged Congress to approve Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) legislation, which would help the United States negotiate and finalize key trade agreements that will lower tariffs, boost U.S. exports and create jobs: “TPA gives the U.S. one voice on trade … [It] strengthens our country’s negotiating position and […]