United News of Bangladesh

A sweeping 2022 law, touted by President Joe Biden as a way to revive US manufacturing of semiconductors and reduce the country’s reliance on foreign-made computer chips, will “sharply increase production’’ of semiconductors in the United States. But it will do so at a high cost and might not deliver the best bang for the buck, concludes a report out Wednesday by an economic think tank in Washington. Researchers at the Peterson Institute for International Economics calculated that the $280 billion CHIPS and Science Act will create about 93,000 construction jobs as chip factories go up in the United States and 43,000 permanent jobs once they’re in operation. However, the government subsidies behind the expected chip manufacturing boom mean that each job created will cost taxpayers about $185,000 a year – twice the average annual salary of US semiconductor employees, the Peterson report found. SEC sues Elon Musk who allegedly kept hidden Twitter ownership on time before buying it “More production might not provide the best security for the money,’’ wrote researchers Gary Hufbauer and Megan Hogan. The Peterson reports notes that in passing the CHIPS Act Congress “did not consider alternative ways’’ of spending billions of dollars to ensure the US had adequate chip supplies. Other options could have included creating a chip stockpile run by the Federal Emergency Management Agency or providing financial incentives for US chip users and foreign chip producers to keep bigger inventories of semiconductors in the United States. Biden touted and Congress passed the CHIPS Act after semiconductor supplies ran short following COVID-19 lockdowns. The shortages disrupted production of automobiles and other products. The Biden administration also viewed ramping up made-in-America chip production as a national security issue because it would reduce US reliance on foreign imports of chips, which are used by the military as well as private companies. A study by the Boston Consulting Group and the Semiconductor Industry Association has found that America’s share of world chip production capacity, measured by volume and not dollar value, fell from 37% in 1990 to just 10% in 2022. Policymakers are alarmed that US industry depends heavily on chips manufactured in Taiwan, a supply that could be threatened if China launches military strikes intended to force the autonomous island to reunite politically with the Chinese mainland. The giant Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., which supplies chips to Apple and Qualcomm, among others, is investing heavily in chip plants in Arizona. Biden's administration proposes new rules on exporting AI chips, provoking an industry pushback The CHIPS Act also aims to boost the US share of the world's advanced chips to 20% by 2030 from none today. But the Peterson report argued that such a leap would require additional government subsidies and overcoming shortages of skilled labor and electricity. It also noted that South Korea and Taiwan are offering their own chipmaking giants generous tax credits to protect their lead in the market. Asking whether the US can meet that 20% goal, the Peterson researchers conclude: "Maybe.'' It’s unclear whether the incoming Trump administration will scrap or make changes to the CHIPS Act. During the election campaign, President-elect Donald Trump had argued that tariffs on foreign chips – not subsidies to encourage US production – would have done more to bring semiconductor plants to the United States. But the Peterson researchers noted that in the past European Union tariffs had failed to revive chip production in Europe. “There is no compelling reason why a comparable tariff would prove more successful for the United States,’’ they wrote.

The government has officially approved the formation of a national taskforce on the semiconductor sector, to be led by the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) - setting a benchmark for uniting non-resident Bangladeshi (NRB) industry leaders, academics, and top government representatives to drive sectoral growth. The initiative aims to advance Bangladesh’s capabilities in testing, assembly, and chip design, marking a significant step towards unlocking the country's potential in this high-value industry.  “Bangladesh’s strategic location near the Asia-Pacific supply chain, competitive labor costs, and young, skilled workforce make it an ideal destination for global semiconductor leaders. By uniting expertise from Bangladeshi diaspora, industry, academia, and policy, we will strengthen our role in the global value chain and build a future-ready, innovation-driven economy,” said Ashik Chowdhury, Executive Chairman, BIDA and BEZA on Wednesday. BIDA signs MoUs with 4 institutions, adds 7 new services The taskforce’s mandate includes identifying immediate growth opportunities, addressing policy and skill gaps, and recommending infrastructure and incentive frameworks to attract global investment, with the expectation of delivering actionable results by the end of January. Ashik Chowdhury, Executive Chairman, BIDA and BEZA, has been made convener of the taskforce. Besides the National Board of Revenue Chairman and the ICT Division Secretary, the taskforce includes Mohammed Enayetur Rahman, CEO, ULKASEMI; Istak Ahmmed, Chairman, Prime Silicon Technology (BD) Ltd; M.A. Jabbar, Managing Director, Neural Semiconductor Ltd; Prof. Dr. A. B. M. Harun-ur-Rashid, Head of Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET); Maj Gen. Md. Nasim Parvez, Commandant, Military Institute of Science and Technology (MIST); Prof. Syed Mahfuzul Aziz, Pro-VC, BRAC University; Mashuk Rahman, founder, Green Quest, USA; Mustafiz Choudhury, Semiconductor Expert, Silicon Valley; and Zahirul Alam, Executive Director, Integrated Development Foundation (IDF). Nahian Rahman Rochi, Head of Business Development, BIDA is the member secretary.