March 17, 2005 – Semiconductor industry representatives speaking at a news conference in Washington, DC, called on lawmakers to increase research funding to keep the country at the forefront of leadership as the industry races into advanced technologies.

SIA chairman Steve Appleton, alongside industry executives including Intel’s Craig Barrett, cautioned that “current efforts are inadequate” to compete for leadership in the nanoelectronics era. “It will take a massive, coordinated US research effort involving academia, industry, and state and federal governments” to keep the US as the world’s leader in IT, argued Barrett.

The industry leaders are proposing increases in R&D investments among several government entities, including the National Science Foundation (proposed doubling research budget over 10 years) and the National Institute for Standards and Technology ($20 million increase for nanomanufacturing/nanometrology research).

“US leadership is under assault” from unprecedented global competition,” warned Barrett. “The initial step in responding to this challenge is that America must decide to compete,” and if the US does not compete and win, “there will be very serious consequences for our standard of living and national security.”