CHIPS Act: U.S. Chip Industry’s Quiet Progress

The U.S. CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 aimed to reestablish advanced manufacturing for logic and memory in the United States, as well as boost or establish other chipmaking activities. The job is far from complete, but a look at where the money is expected to go points to a potentially broad geographic boost for the domestic chip industry. That’s assuming it continues.

Not long after the law took effect, the federal government began careful negotiations and had in hand proposed deals for more than 30 projects by the end of October 2024.

After Donald Trump won the 2024 election, the CHIPS Office went into high gear, converting those proposed deals into awards. It agreed to more than $30 billion in the roughly two months before Trump took office.

But things have gotten deathly quiet since then.

Proponents of the CHIPS Act shouldn’t panic…yet, says Russell Harrison, managing director of IEEE-USA and an expert on the workings of Washington. New administrations often press pause to examine what they want to keep and change—and to find ways to take credit for successes.

In the meantime, Harrison’s team is focused on getting Congress to fund the parts of the act meant to solidify any manufacturing gains—such as the R&D and workforce-development programs.