Major microchip makers are postponing their expansion into the US and setting up shop in Israel and Russia due to the fairness conditions required of them to receive US government subsidies.
The Biden administration promised earlier this year that it would provide $39 billion in grants to boost U.S. semiconductor manufacturing.
However, shortly after the announcement, Intel announced that it would delay its Columbus factory, while Samsung also delayed its Texas facility.
Despite billions in subsidies, two experts believe that technology companies’ decision not to build manufacturing facilities in the United States is due to diversity, equity and inclusion policy.
In an opinion article for The hillStrive Asset Management CEO Matt Cole and the firm’s head of research Chris Nicholson say the subsidies are so “DEI-laden that they can’t be moved.”
The Biden administration promised earlier this year that it would provide $39 billion in grants to boost U.S. semiconductor manufacturing.
Two experts believe that the decision of technology companies not to build manufacturing facilities in the United States is due to the policy of diversity, equity and inclusion. Pictured: Technicians inspect equipment during a tour of Micron Technology’s automotive chip manufacturing plant.
Both say Intel has built manufacturing plants in Poland and Israel, meaning they would rather deal with the threat of Hamas rockets and Russian aggression than the DEI government regime.
Meanwhile, Samsung is making a pivot to make South Korea the home of its semiconductor manufacturing plant.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) also delayed production at a second facility in Arizona.
The subsidies are paid for by the CHIPS and Science Act, a $280 billion bill to fund domestic manufacturing of semiconductor chips and boost competitiveness with China.
The package includes $52 billion in financing for U.S. companies to produce computer chips, as well as a 25 percent tax credit for companies that invest in the market.
It includes $39 billion for chip manufacturing companies to expand and modernize their technologies.
The law also authorized $11 billion to the Department of Commerce for research and development and another $81 billion to the National Science Foundation.
In their article, Cole and Nicholson said some of the CHIPS money goes toward creating chief diversity officers and helping minority groups.
Strive Asset Management CEO Matt Cole, right, and the firm’s head of research Chris Nicholson, left, say the subsidies are so “DEI-laden that they can’t be moved.”
Intel has built a manufacturing plant in Israel, meaning they would rather deal with the Hamas rocket threat (pictured) than the government’s DEI regime.
The CHIPS and Science Act grants call for creating chief diversity officers and helping minority groups. Pictured: A graphics processing unit chip manufactured by Advanced Micro Devices Inc.
It also calls on chipmakers to “increase the participation of economically disadvantaged people in the semiconductor workforce.”
The two added: ‘In short, the world’s best chipmakers are tired of being pawns in the CHIPS Act political games.
‘They have quietly given up on the United States. Intel should know that the upcoming grants are election-year gimmicks: mere statements of intent that will not be followed up on.
“Even after due diligence and final agreements, funds will only be released in dribs and drabs as recipients demonstrate they are jumping through the appropriate hoops.”
They also added that chip makers should ensure they hire female construction workers at companies.
In a 2023 report from the Bureau of Labor, they said 10.8 percent of construction workers in the United States are women.
Despite the small numbers, companies must ensure they have childcare services for workers and engineers, which both say “don’t exist yet.”
And they add: “This is what empires in decline are made of.” While the United States seeks national security by creating a diverse workforce, China does so by building warships.
‘Instead of solving the problem, those responsible are trying to hide it long enough to win re-election.
“Don’t be fooled by the Biden administration’s upcoming Bernie weekend bill: The CHIPS Act is dead.”