Lehigh Valley benefits from CHIPS Act
What do a MacBook, a microwave and a Mack Truck have in common? They’re all powered by tiny microchips: small but mighty pieces of technological infrastructure, also known as semiconductors. Passed into law just over a year ago, the CHIPS and Science Act is a monumental investment in producing these tiny, enormously important microchips in the United States so as to stay competitive with China.
A year later, more than $166 billion in private sector investments in semiconductor production have been announced across the country. The Department of Commerce has received more than 460 statements of interests for chips manufacturing projects in 42 states, companies big and small looking to build projects all across the semiconductor sector.
New projects announced by semiconductor companies just in the last year are expected to create 20,500 manufacturing jobs. More than 45 community colleges across the country announced new or expanded semiconductor workforce programs; student applications to full-time jobs posted by semiconductor companies were up 79% in the 2022-23 year, compared with 19% for other industries.
I worked to get the CHIPS Act across the finish line through my role on the Science, Space, and Technology Committee in Congress — and one year later, we’re seeing the start of what it looks like to invest in American semiconductor production. It’s by making things like microchips here at home that we strengthen our economy and create good-paying jobs for American workers, as we in the Lehigh Valley know better than almost anyone else.
The Lehigh Valley has a long, rich history as a manufacturing powerhouse and a leader in semiconductor production. Following the transistor’s invention in 1951, we served as a global center for design and production of transistors and semiconductors.
Today, we host a thriving ecosystem of advanced manufacturing and technology. We’re home to 35 companies in the semiconductor and related device manufacturing sectors — meaning that the Lehigh Valley is a prime location for such companies to grow their footprint and strengthen our supply chains.
Just one year in, the CHIPS Act is doing its job: catalyzing private investment in American semiconductor production, bringing good-paying careers back to the United States, and reducing dependence on foreign supply chains.
This is what it looks like to prioritize American jobs and American workers, and that includes workers in our community. It’s why I’ve made fighting to invest in American manufacturing such a priority, because of the impact it has on people here in the 7th District.
Manufacturing represents 18% of the Lehigh Valley’s economic output, one that reached $8.4 billion in 2021. That’s a larger percentage of GDP due to manufacturing than that of the U.S. economy, and it’s a testament to the grit and tenacity of our businesses, manufacturers, and workers. With our legacy as a leader in American manufacturing, the Lehigh Valley is at the forefront of the resurgence of domestic production across the United States taking place thanks to CHIPS Act investments.
As we celebrate one year of CHIPS Act investments in American manufacturing, I’m advocating to bring further investments to the Lehigh Valley. Also passed through the CHIPS Act was my bill that creates Tech Hubs across the country to fuel American technological production. I helped convene the cross-sector consortium of partners from the Lehigh Valley: a group that just recently filed an application, led by the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp., to bring a Tech Hub to our region.
I was proud to get the Tech Hubs program across the finish line. Now, I’m even prouder to work alongside community partners to advocate for bringing this investment to the Lehigh Valley. We’re uniquely positioned to host a Tech Hub, thanks to the technology companies already present in our region; our outstanding academic institutions and workforce development programs; strong business, economic development and nonprofit organizations; and our prime location on the Eastern seaboard.
We have a legacy as a leader in American manufacturing and innovation for a Tech Hub to build on, to drive innovation and bring good jobs home.
And you’ve probably heard me say it before: I’m a polite yet very squeaky wheel in the ear of the Department of Commerce, advocating for our community to receive this investment and more.
One year ago, the CHIPS Act bet on making it in America. We can see that it’s a bet that is already paying off. The CHIPS Act is a bet I would make any day of the week, because when we corral this region’s many talents and put our workers first, there’s nothing we can’t make in the Lehigh Valley.