1 00:00:01,320 --> 00:00:05,279 Speaker 1: You've no doubt heard President Joe Biden is pumping billions 2 00:00:05,280 --> 00:00:10,200 Speaker 1: of dollars into bringing micro chip manufacturing back to the US. 3 00:00:10,480 --> 00:00:13,040 Speaker 1: It's called the Chips Act, and Biden talks about it 4 00:00:13,160 --> 00:00:18,880 Speaker 1: every chance he gets. Now, no that we met this moment. 5 00:00:19,560 --> 00:00:22,880 Speaker 2: Today, I'm signing the law, the Chips and Science Act, 6 00:00:22,920 --> 00:00:27,280 Speaker 2: once in a generation investment in America itself, a law 7 00:00:27,400 --> 00:00:29,159 Speaker 2: that the American people can be proud of. 8 00:00:30,080 --> 00:00:33,519 Speaker 1: In large part that's all about jobs, of course, but 9 00:00:33,840 --> 00:00:39,199 Speaker 1: also national security. COVID lockdowns exposed just how vulnerable the 10 00:00:39,320 --> 00:00:43,400 Speaker 1: US is because of its dependence on chip makers overseas. 11 00:00:44,159 --> 00:00:48,479 Speaker 3: The demand shock of these chips really created kind of 12 00:00:48,520 --> 00:00:53,160 Speaker 3: this logjam, and this says that, well, we can't access 13 00:00:53,320 --> 00:00:56,800 Speaker 3: these chips that are the centerpiece of everything from our 14 00:00:56,840 --> 00:01:00,000 Speaker 3: cell phones to our cars to our fighter airplace. 15 00:01:00,920 --> 00:01:04,760 Speaker 1: Later in the show, doctor Sarah Kreps of Cornell University 16 00:01:05,000 --> 00:01:09,120 Speaker 1: weighs the upsides and the potential downsides of the US 17 00:01:09,200 --> 00:01:13,600 Speaker 1: and its allies all racing to make their own semiconductors. First, 18 00:01:13,680 --> 00:01:18,119 Speaker 1: let's bring in Bloomberg reporter Eric Martin. He's tracking where 19 00:01:18,160 --> 00:01:23,200 Speaker 1: all that chip money is going. I'm West Ksova. That's 20 00:01:23,240 --> 00:01:37,360 Speaker 1: today on the big Take, Eric, We're hearing about chips 21 00:01:37,400 --> 00:01:39,000 Speaker 1: just all the time. In one of the things we're 22 00:01:39,000 --> 00:01:43,120 Speaker 1: hearing is the US needs to very quickly gain a 23 00:01:43,160 --> 00:01:46,640 Speaker 1: new footing in what's widely called this chip war to 24 00:01:46,800 --> 00:01:48,440 Speaker 1: try to dominate this industry. 25 00:01:48,920 --> 00:01:49,600 Speaker 2: Why is that? 26 00:01:50,520 --> 00:01:53,080 Speaker 4: Was this something that people in Congress were starting to 27 00:01:53,120 --> 00:01:56,760 Speaker 4: look at towards the end of the Trump administration, even 28 00:01:56,840 --> 00:02:00,560 Speaker 4: before COVID nineteen hit. But when the pandemic hit and 29 00:02:00,600 --> 00:02:04,760 Speaker 4: it interrupted supply chains and suddenly people couldn't buy cars, 30 00:02:04,880 --> 00:02:09,200 Speaker 4: there weren't enough electronics, sun stores, everybody was working from home. 31 00:02:09,639 --> 00:02:14,040 Speaker 4: It really revealed how dependent we are on chips. They 32 00:02:14,040 --> 00:02:20,840 Speaker 4: go into everything from your dishwasher to laptop to vehicles, 33 00:02:21,440 --> 00:02:24,880 Speaker 4: absolutely everything has chips in them. And the fact that 34 00:02:24,919 --> 00:02:29,320 Speaker 4: the US for so many decades had been outsourcing chip 35 00:02:29,400 --> 00:02:36,520 Speaker 4: production to East Asia, Taiwan, Singapore, Korea. It was something 36 00:02:36,600 --> 00:02:39,960 Speaker 4: that kind of just happened because companies were looking for 37 00:02:40,480 --> 00:02:43,359 Speaker 4: the best profit center and the cheapest place to produce. 38 00:02:43,680 --> 00:02:45,040 Speaker 4: But in the process, I think a lot of people 39 00:02:45,120 --> 00:02:48,880 Speaker 4: didn't realize what was happening in terms of moving US 40 00:02:48,960 --> 00:02:54,360 Speaker 4: capacity offshore. So that's why last summer Congress, with both 41 00:02:54,480 --> 00:02:58,880 Speaker 4: Democrats and Republicans passed this massive fifty two billion dollar 42 00:02:59,480 --> 00:03:04,200 Speaker 4: Chips bending and Production and Research Bill is to address 43 00:03:04,360 --> 00:03:07,200 Speaker 4: that shortage and to try to make sure that something 44 00:03:07,240 --> 00:03:08,640 Speaker 4: like that never happens again. 45 00:03:09,440 --> 00:03:13,680 Speaker 1: Eric, you point to this important distinction between designing and 46 00:03:13,760 --> 00:03:17,880 Speaker 1: inventing these chips and then actually manufacturing them. And the 47 00:03:18,000 --> 00:03:21,560 Speaker 1: US is still one of the leading places where especially 48 00:03:21,720 --> 00:03:25,160 Speaker 1: really advanced chips are still being designed. Is that right? 49 00:03:25,800 --> 00:03:29,960 Speaker 4: Absolutely. We have Silicon Valley because it was Silicon because 50 00:03:30,000 --> 00:03:33,720 Speaker 4: it's the chip industry that gave birth to this massive 51 00:03:34,240 --> 00:03:37,960 Speaker 4: and powerful economy in that part of the country. And 52 00:03:38,040 --> 00:03:43,040 Speaker 4: so firms like Intel, Apple, you know, they still design 53 00:03:43,400 --> 00:03:47,120 Speaker 4: their chips in house, but they farm out the actual 54 00:03:47,160 --> 00:03:51,280 Speaker 4: production to companies located in East Asia where the production 55 00:03:51,400 --> 00:03:54,400 Speaker 4: is a lot cheaper, including in China. The China still 56 00:03:54,440 --> 00:03:57,920 Speaker 4: makes a lot of the advanced chips that get shipped 57 00:03:57,960 --> 00:04:00,240 Speaker 4: to the US. But also you look at the company 58 00:04:00,360 --> 00:04:04,240 Speaker 4: like TSMC, whose entire model has been around building the 59 00:04:04,320 --> 00:04:06,840 Speaker 4: chips that other companies design. 60 00:04:06,840 --> 00:04:09,120 Speaker 1: And they're the big chip maker in Taiwan. We hear 61 00:04:09,160 --> 00:04:09,800 Speaker 1: a lot about. 62 00:04:09,960 --> 00:04:14,480 Speaker 4: Yes, absolutely, and they're just breaking ground on a new, huge, 63 00:04:14,920 --> 00:04:20,000 Speaker 4: multi billion dollar factory near Phoenix, Arizona and are looking 64 00:04:20,120 --> 00:04:23,520 Speaker 4: at expanding their production in the US. Had a big 65 00:04:23,680 --> 00:04:29,120 Speaker 4: groundbreaking with President Biden President last year. But looking at 66 00:04:29,160 --> 00:04:33,360 Speaker 4: the fact that the US only produces about twelve percent 67 00:04:33,400 --> 00:04:36,200 Speaker 4: of chips, down from around forty percent of chips as 68 00:04:36,240 --> 00:04:39,200 Speaker 4: recently as nineteen ninety, but that almost none of the 69 00:04:39,240 --> 00:04:42,200 Speaker 4: chips the US produces are the most advanced chips. And 70 00:04:42,240 --> 00:04:44,640 Speaker 4: that's what the Chips and Science Act really is trying 71 00:04:44,640 --> 00:04:46,840 Speaker 4: to bring back, to make sure that that kind of 72 00:04:46,880 --> 00:04:51,159 Speaker 4: technology is never inaccessible for the US, whether it be 73 00:04:51,320 --> 00:04:54,000 Speaker 4: due to a pandemic or some of the geopolitical things 74 00:04:54,040 --> 00:04:57,760 Speaker 4: that we're looking at, like the possibility of China invading 75 00:04:57,760 --> 00:05:02,479 Speaker 4: Taiwan and threatening some of those TSMC production facilities that 76 00:05:02,560 --> 00:05:05,920 Speaker 4: are indispensable to the US economy and really to the 77 00:05:05,920 --> 00:05:06,799 Speaker 4: global economy. 78 00:05:08,880 --> 00:05:11,160 Speaker 1: You said that over the years, one of the reasons 79 00:05:11,279 --> 00:05:16,320 Speaker 1: why these chip companies in the US sent production overseas 80 00:05:16,400 --> 00:05:18,120 Speaker 1: is because it's so much cheaper. So what does this 81 00:05:18,320 --> 00:05:23,840 Speaker 1: Chips Bill do about controlling the costs of making chips? 82 00:05:23,920 --> 00:05:27,359 Speaker 1: Where does that money go that suddenly makes it economically 83 00:05:27,400 --> 00:05:30,720 Speaker 1: advantageous to make chips in the US when it isn't 84 00:05:30,800 --> 00:05:31,279 Speaker 1: right now? 85 00:05:31,680 --> 00:05:35,080 Speaker 4: So thirty nine billion dollars out of the fifty two 86 00:05:35,160 --> 00:05:40,719 Speaker 4: billion is in incentives, grants, and other kinds of loans 87 00:05:40,760 --> 00:05:44,960 Speaker 4: to help companies private companies that would like to produce 88 00:05:45,320 --> 00:05:48,400 Speaker 4: in the US to help give them a greater reason 89 00:05:48,560 --> 00:05:52,800 Speaker 4: financially to do so. That goes to building out factories, 90 00:05:53,120 --> 00:05:56,960 Speaker 4: it goes to helping with workforce development. One of the 91 00:05:57,040 --> 00:06:01,440 Speaker 4: key things that the Commerce Department and Secretary Engineer Amundo, 92 00:06:01,440 --> 00:06:04,240 Speaker 4: who are in the lead for this project, have underlined 93 00:06:04,680 --> 00:06:06,880 Speaker 4: is that the US needs to build a whole ecosystem 94 00:06:07,160 --> 00:06:11,520 Speaker 4: to make it attractive for chip companies to produce in 95 00:06:11,600 --> 00:06:15,440 Speaker 4: the US. And right now there's a shortage of hundreds 96 00:06:15,440 --> 00:06:19,200 Speaker 4: of thousands of workers that these companies are going to 97 00:06:19,279 --> 00:06:22,720 Speaker 4: need in the coming years that just aren't there. One 98 00:06:22,720 --> 00:06:25,000 Speaker 4: of the things that they struggle with is a shortage 99 00:06:25,000 --> 00:06:29,279 Speaker 4: of engineers. For instance, it's been really sexy in recent 100 00:06:29,360 --> 00:06:33,000 Speaker 4: years to go into, for instance, software engineering, and there 101 00:06:33,040 --> 00:06:36,560 Speaker 4: is a recognition that you need to make semiconductor engineering 102 00:06:36,560 --> 00:06:41,640 Speaker 4: and engineering jobs on fab floors just as attractive for 103 00:06:41,800 --> 00:06:45,800 Speaker 4: young people to go into and find people students in 104 00:06:45,880 --> 00:06:49,200 Speaker 4: high school, how do you make them excited about going 105 00:06:49,240 --> 00:06:50,359 Speaker 4: into the chip industry. 106 00:06:50,880 --> 00:06:53,080 Speaker 1: Let's say they are able to do that using some 107 00:06:53,160 --> 00:06:56,560 Speaker 1: of this money. Once those fabs, those factories are up 108 00:06:56,560 --> 00:06:59,280 Speaker 1: and running, the workers get paid a lot. These are 109 00:06:59,360 --> 00:07:01,960 Speaker 1: very high paying jobs, and if cost is a big 110 00:07:02,360 --> 00:07:05,800 Speaker 1: reason of moving things overseas, this money could be an 111 00:07:05,800 --> 00:07:09,080 Speaker 1: initial influx of capital to help them build it. But 112 00:07:09,120 --> 00:07:11,480 Speaker 1: then what about the cost of just paying all of 113 00:07:11,520 --> 00:07:13,240 Speaker 1: these people a lot of money to make chips? Why 114 00:07:13,360 --> 00:07:16,440 Speaker 1: is it economically feasible under this program when it wasn't 115 00:07:16,480 --> 00:07:17,000 Speaker 1: just before. 116 00:07:18,160 --> 00:07:21,239 Speaker 4: That's a really important point, Wes. The fifty two billion 117 00:07:21,480 --> 00:07:23,960 Speaker 4: on its own from the Chips program is never going 118 00:07:24,000 --> 00:07:26,840 Speaker 4: to be enough, and that's something that people in the 119 00:07:26,840 --> 00:07:29,400 Speaker 4: Biden administration acknowledge. This is going to need to be 120 00:07:29,440 --> 00:07:34,280 Speaker 4: amplified four or five times by private companies choosing to 121 00:07:34,360 --> 00:07:37,360 Speaker 4: invest in the US because of the advantages that the 122 00:07:37,480 --> 00:07:41,960 Speaker 4: US provides. That also leads to another aspect of this, 123 00:07:42,000 --> 00:07:45,120 Speaker 4: which is the eleven billion dollars in research and development 124 00:07:45,200 --> 00:07:50,360 Speaker 4: funding that the Chips Act provides and looking at building 125 00:07:50,720 --> 00:07:55,160 Speaker 4: a national Semiconductor Technology Center and trying to bring in 126 00:07:55,280 --> 00:08:01,160 Speaker 4: different stakeholders from academia, universities, bringing them together with private companies, 127 00:08:01,360 --> 00:08:04,520 Speaker 4: and trying to provide a place that is going to 128 00:08:04,560 --> 00:08:08,680 Speaker 4: have a government impulse and with government as the catalyst 129 00:08:08,880 --> 00:08:13,240 Speaker 4: for tackling some of the biggest global challenges in terms 130 00:08:13,280 --> 00:08:17,000 Speaker 4: of technology, inventing the technologies of tomorrow. It's a role 131 00:08:17,040 --> 00:08:20,560 Speaker 4: that the government played, particularly the defense industry in the 132 00:08:20,680 --> 00:08:25,240 Speaker 4: nineteen forties and fifties, in getting the chip industry founded 133 00:08:25,320 --> 00:08:27,640 Speaker 4: and up and running. But it's a role that government 134 00:08:27,640 --> 00:08:30,160 Speaker 4: has gotten away from in recent decades and does this 135 00:08:30,360 --> 00:08:33,559 Speaker 4: kind of return in some ways to the roots of 136 00:08:33,840 --> 00:08:36,920 Speaker 4: the chip industry where there was some level of government 137 00:08:36,960 --> 00:08:41,880 Speaker 4: involvement in leadership and industrial planning in a way that 138 00:08:42,240 --> 00:08:47,439 Speaker 4: then was copied by Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore was copied 139 00:08:47,440 --> 00:08:52,040 Speaker 4: by economies in Asia with great success in more recent decades. 140 00:08:53,679 --> 00:08:55,600 Speaker 1: So let's talk a little bit more about this National 141 00:08:55,760 --> 00:08:59,720 Speaker 1: Semiconductor Technology Center, because it's kind of like the centerpiece. 142 00:09:00,240 --> 00:09:03,400 Speaker 4: So it's definitely something that the Commerce Department is excited 143 00:09:03,400 --> 00:09:06,640 Speaker 4: about that they talk about a lot. That one of 144 00:09:06,640 --> 00:09:10,280 Speaker 4: the most important aspects of this is that it be independent, 145 00:09:10,720 --> 00:09:14,360 Speaker 4: that it be seen as science driven, and that it 146 00:09:14,480 --> 00:09:17,760 Speaker 4: be a place that can bring together and unify all 147 00:09:17,880 --> 00:09:21,559 Speaker 4: kinds of different stakeholders because you have all these different 148 00:09:21,800 --> 00:09:24,199 Speaker 4: private companies that are competing with each other, so the 149 00:09:24,280 --> 00:09:27,480 Speaker 4: question is how do you pull them together to pursue 150 00:09:27,600 --> 00:09:31,000 Speaker 4: share goals. It's going to be structured as a nonprofit 151 00:09:31,440 --> 00:09:33,440 Speaker 4: and there are still a lot of open questions about 152 00:09:33,480 --> 00:09:36,520 Speaker 4: exactly how all of this will work. They have not 153 00:09:36,600 --> 00:09:40,800 Speaker 4: yet announced the headquarters for the NSTC as it's being 154 00:09:40,840 --> 00:09:43,520 Speaker 4: called for the Technology Center. It's going to be a 155 00:09:43,760 --> 00:09:48,600 Speaker 4: national network of different technical centers as well, and part 156 00:09:48,640 --> 00:09:51,920 Speaker 4: of the aim of the Chips and Science Act is 157 00:09:52,000 --> 00:09:56,840 Speaker 4: to diversify production as well as research and development across 158 00:09:56,880 --> 00:09:59,599 Speaker 4: the country. It's an industry that's very focused on the 159 00:09:59,679 --> 00:10:03,080 Speaker 4: coast right now and so looking at ways to bring 160 00:10:03,160 --> 00:10:06,040 Speaker 4: that more into the heartland of the country. So it's 161 00:10:06,200 --> 00:10:10,720 Speaker 4: geographically diverse, also more diversity in terms of the workers 162 00:10:10,840 --> 00:10:13,360 Speaker 4: in the industry. But there are a lot of open 163 00:10:13,440 --> 00:10:16,920 Speaker 4: questions about exactly how all of this will work, and 164 00:10:17,280 --> 00:10:20,480 Speaker 4: Secretary Ramondo I think is very frank about them. When 165 00:10:20,520 --> 00:10:23,920 Speaker 4: we spoke with the Secretary, she talked about how this 166 00:10:24,120 --> 00:10:28,079 Speaker 4: is the biggest US industrial policy foray of the past 167 00:10:28,120 --> 00:10:31,160 Speaker 4: seventy years and if it doesn't work, it'll be the 168 00:10:31,240 --> 00:10:33,920 Speaker 4: last attempt for seventy years. 169 00:10:34,280 --> 00:10:37,640 Speaker 1: After the break. Why billions of dollars alone won't be 170 00:10:37,960 --> 00:10:50,240 Speaker 1: enough to jump start chip making in the US. Eric 171 00:10:50,280 --> 00:10:52,280 Speaker 1: before the break, you were talking about how US chip 172 00:10:52,320 --> 00:10:56,440 Speaker 1: makers ideally will come together in these technology centers and 173 00:10:56,559 --> 00:10:58,920 Speaker 1: share what they know for the good of the country, 174 00:10:58,960 --> 00:11:01,760 Speaker 1: but they're also competing with each other for business. Will 175 00:11:01,760 --> 00:11:03,960 Speaker 1: they want to share with the competition? 176 00:11:05,240 --> 00:11:08,120 Speaker 4: Well, that's the fifty two billion dollar question in some way. 177 00:11:08,640 --> 00:11:12,240 Speaker 4: The eleven billion that's being spent on research and development. 178 00:11:12,600 --> 00:11:14,720 Speaker 4: In a net sense, it's a large amount of money, 179 00:11:14,720 --> 00:11:17,439 Speaker 4: eleven billion dollars, but it's a small amount when you 180 00:11:17,480 --> 00:11:21,520 Speaker 4: look at the global spend on research and development. Intel, 181 00:11:21,679 --> 00:11:25,640 Speaker 4: the biggest maker of computer processors, spend more than seventeen 182 00:11:25,800 --> 00:11:29,520 Speaker 4: billion in twenty twenty two alone on R and D. 183 00:11:30,080 --> 00:11:32,160 Speaker 4: And so it's something that is going to be a 184 00:11:32,160 --> 00:11:35,560 Speaker 4: big challenge of how do you amplify the amount of 185 00:11:35,600 --> 00:11:39,880 Speaker 4: government spending, you know, which can never equal the amount 186 00:11:39,880 --> 00:11:43,120 Speaker 4: that's spent by the private sector. You know. When we 187 00:11:43,160 --> 00:11:46,280 Speaker 4: look at the goals of this broadly, some of the 188 00:11:46,280 --> 00:11:51,559 Speaker 4: goals are to make it easier for particularly smaller companies 189 00:11:51,640 --> 00:11:55,120 Speaker 4: and startups and companies that are not the intels of 190 00:11:55,160 --> 00:11:58,160 Speaker 4: the world, but may have a great idea for the 191 00:11:58,200 --> 00:12:03,240 Speaker 4: next generation of chips or next generation technology, and to 192 00:12:03,320 --> 00:12:07,079 Speaker 4: give them a place to try new things, to try 193 00:12:07,120 --> 00:12:11,839 Speaker 4: out prototypes, to have a less expensive way to test 194 00:12:11,960 --> 00:12:15,400 Speaker 4: some of their ideas, precisely because this is an industry 195 00:12:15,640 --> 00:12:20,240 Speaker 4: that requires so much money in order to do trial 196 00:12:20,360 --> 00:12:23,280 Speaker 4: runs of new technologies. So one of the things that 197 00:12:23,320 --> 00:12:25,920 Speaker 4: the Center aims to do is to level the playing 198 00:12:25,920 --> 00:12:29,360 Speaker 4: field a little bit. Secretary of Ramondo comes from a 199 00:12:29,440 --> 00:12:33,560 Speaker 4: venture capital background. That's what she was doing before she 200 00:12:33,920 --> 00:12:36,839 Speaker 4: ran for treasurer of Rhode Island, later became governor, now 201 00:12:36,880 --> 00:12:41,040 Speaker 4: obviously Commerce Secretary, so she has experience with venture capital, 202 00:12:41,120 --> 00:12:43,719 Speaker 4: with new ideas, with innovation, and one of the things 203 00:12:43,760 --> 00:12:47,880 Speaker 4: the Center is trying to do is to boost those opportunities, 204 00:12:48,080 --> 00:12:50,280 Speaker 4: to cut I think in half. They're looking for the 205 00:12:50,360 --> 00:12:54,120 Speaker 4: cost of entry over the next decade, but to really 206 00:12:54,200 --> 00:12:57,560 Speaker 4: say that innovation needs to come from the ground up, 207 00:12:57,600 --> 00:12:59,720 Speaker 4: and if you're going to have that kind of competition 208 00:13:00,120 --> 00:13:02,720 Speaker 4: and the profit motivations that are going to spur new 209 00:13:02,840 --> 00:13:05,360 Speaker 4: entries to the industry, you really need to make it 210 00:13:05,440 --> 00:13:08,880 Speaker 4: easier and lower the cost for people to try new 211 00:13:08,920 --> 00:13:12,199 Speaker 4: things and for people to test their ideas. And that's 212 00:13:12,240 --> 00:13:15,040 Speaker 4: one of the things that the Technology Center aims for, 213 00:13:15,400 --> 00:13:19,360 Speaker 4: as well as giving workers the opportunity to gain hands 214 00:13:19,360 --> 00:13:23,240 Speaker 4: on experience to develop those skills. And so it's aiming 215 00:13:23,280 --> 00:13:25,800 Speaker 4: for this kind of virtuous cycle where both you'll have 216 00:13:25,840 --> 00:13:29,439 Speaker 4: new ideas being tried, but also workers and the workforce 217 00:13:29,480 --> 00:13:33,960 Speaker 4: being trained in this whole ecosystem emanating from this national 218 00:13:34,000 --> 00:13:40,120 Speaker 4: network of technical facilities and the partnerships with universities, with companies, 219 00:13:40,520 --> 00:13:43,840 Speaker 4: all of this kind of being created as a new 220 00:13:43,880 --> 00:13:47,160 Speaker 4: initiative and as a bold new idea. 221 00:13:47,360 --> 00:13:50,400 Speaker 1: Eric like everything that's still in an idea phase. It 222 00:13:50,480 --> 00:13:52,520 Speaker 1: sounds really great, but there's already been a lot of 223 00:13:52,559 --> 00:13:55,760 Speaker 1: criticism about the way some of this money is being spent. 224 00:13:56,400 --> 00:14:01,000 Speaker 4: Absolutely, that workforce is a top concern when you talk 225 00:14:01,080 --> 00:14:05,640 Speaker 4: to companies, and the Biden administration is pretty candid that 226 00:14:05,840 --> 00:14:10,199 Speaker 4: this is one piece of what's needed to build the industry. 227 00:14:10,559 --> 00:14:14,319 Speaker 4: That they would love to have immigration reform, an ability 228 00:14:14,440 --> 00:14:18,640 Speaker 4: to keep more of these foreign students who come to 229 00:14:18,679 --> 00:14:22,760 Speaker 4: the US get PhDs in computer science and then need 230 00:14:22,800 --> 00:14:25,160 Speaker 4: to leave because they don't have the visas to stay, 231 00:14:25,480 --> 00:14:30,240 Speaker 4: and also permitting reform, the ability to build these facilities faster. 232 00:14:30,840 --> 00:14:34,640 Speaker 4: But a lot of those things require Congress, and I 233 00:14:34,680 --> 00:14:37,600 Speaker 4: think everyone is clear eyed and honest about the fact 234 00:14:37,680 --> 00:14:40,320 Speaker 4: that Congress is stalemated in terms of any kind of 235 00:14:40,360 --> 00:14:44,360 Speaker 4: imtegration reform, and it has been for years now, and 236 00:14:44,480 --> 00:14:47,720 Speaker 4: so trying to address what can be done things that 237 00:14:47,840 --> 00:14:51,080 Speaker 4: do have bipartisan support, like the Chips and Science Act, 238 00:14:51,520 --> 00:14:55,200 Speaker 4: and understanding that workforce is going to be a big challenge. 239 00:14:55,600 --> 00:14:59,920 Speaker 4: Lack of immigration reform shouldn't prevent this kind of project, 240 00:15:00,120 --> 00:15:02,560 Speaker 4: this kind of effort from going forward. 241 00:15:03,440 --> 00:15:06,000 Speaker 1: Another component to this effort to make chips in the 242 00:15:06,080 --> 00:15:09,120 Speaker 1: US is national security, making sure the US has the 243 00:15:09,200 --> 00:15:12,560 Speaker 1: chips it needs and isn't dependent on other countries. 244 00:15:13,440 --> 00:15:16,920 Speaker 4: That's something that Secretary of Ramundo always mentions is that 245 00:15:16,960 --> 00:15:21,560 Speaker 4: the focus here is not about helping particular companies or 246 00:15:21,680 --> 00:15:26,760 Speaker 4: picking companies as winners and losers. It's through the north 247 00:15:26,840 --> 00:15:31,080 Speaker 4: star of national security. And that what the pandemic and 248 00:15:31,240 --> 00:15:35,240 Speaker 4: supply chain disruptions revealed was that a lack of chips 249 00:15:35,360 --> 00:15:38,360 Speaker 4: is a threat to US economic and national security. 250 00:15:39,480 --> 00:15:41,560 Speaker 1: And when they talk about national security, what they're really 251 00:15:41,560 --> 00:15:46,200 Speaker 1: talking about is China. How does the geopolitical tensions between 252 00:15:46,280 --> 00:15:48,560 Speaker 1: the US and China play out here? 253 00:15:49,080 --> 00:15:52,800 Speaker 4: Absolutely, you know, the philosophy of the Biden administration has 254 00:15:52,920 --> 00:15:57,600 Speaker 4: been to trade with China in goods that are not 255 00:15:57,960 --> 00:16:03,000 Speaker 4: national security sensitive or do not threaten US interests, but 256 00:16:03,120 --> 00:16:07,920 Speaker 4: also to protect leading edge chip technology using export controls 257 00:16:08,280 --> 00:16:13,040 Speaker 4: another area that the Commerce Department has the responsibility, and 258 00:16:13,360 --> 00:16:17,600 Speaker 4: to make sure that the US stays ahead of China 259 00:16:18,080 --> 00:16:23,320 Speaker 4: in terms of its technology that maintains that advantage because 260 00:16:23,360 --> 00:16:25,880 Speaker 4: one of the key areas that chips go into, of 261 00:16:25,920 --> 00:16:31,680 Speaker 4: course is military equipment, the next generation submarines and fire jets. 262 00:16:32,160 --> 00:16:35,480 Speaker 4: And so you're absolutely right that the national security here 263 00:16:35,920 --> 00:16:40,120 Speaker 4: is both about logistics and being able to get from 264 00:16:40,320 --> 00:16:42,520 Speaker 4: all of Asia the chips that the US needs, but 265 00:16:42,600 --> 00:16:46,240 Speaker 4: also maintaining that advantage over China at the time when 266 00:16:46,520 --> 00:16:50,440 Speaker 4: the tensions between these two geopolitical rivals are only growing. 267 00:16:52,520 --> 00:16:55,200 Speaker 1: So, Eric, we've talked about a lot of high concept 268 00:16:55,280 --> 00:16:58,320 Speaker 1: stuff and big plans the US government has for all 269 00:16:58,360 --> 00:17:00,720 Speaker 1: this money, What can we actually expect in real life? 270 00:17:00,760 --> 00:17:04,480 Speaker 1: How long before this chip center is open? How long 271 00:17:04,560 --> 00:17:07,920 Speaker 1: before some of this money starts yielding tangible results? 272 00:17:08,440 --> 00:17:10,560 Speaker 4: Well, Wes, it's not going to be overnight, for sure. 273 00:17:11,080 --> 00:17:15,480 Speaker 4: These fabs, the chip production factories take years to build. 274 00:17:16,000 --> 00:17:19,520 Speaker 4: The funding that Congress has appropriated is for the next 275 00:17:19,680 --> 00:17:23,280 Speaker 4: five years, So there are some questions about will future 276 00:17:23,320 --> 00:17:28,160 Speaker 4: administrations continue the funding that would be necessary to implement 277 00:17:28,240 --> 00:17:32,639 Speaker 4: this strategy over a longer period of time. But you 278 00:17:32,680 --> 00:17:36,120 Speaker 4: can sense that there's a great urgency within the Commerce 279 00:17:36,160 --> 00:17:40,159 Speaker 4: Department and within the broader administration to get this into place, 280 00:17:40,520 --> 00:17:44,080 Speaker 4: and so things like the National Semiconductor Technology Center. We're 281 00:17:44,119 --> 00:17:47,399 Speaker 4: expecting more announcements and for that to be up and 282 00:17:47,480 --> 00:17:51,600 Speaker 4: running by the end of this year and moving as 283 00:17:51,720 --> 00:17:55,600 Speaker 4: fast as possible because the timing is so urgent. 284 00:17:56,720 --> 00:17:58,560 Speaker 1: Eric, thanks so much for coming on the show. 285 00:17:58,680 --> 00:18:01,280 Speaker 4: Wes, thank you for having me when we come back. 286 00:18:01,359 --> 00:18:14,560 Speaker 1: How chips figure into the rivalry between the US and China, 287 00:18:14,640 --> 00:18:17,879 Speaker 1: As we've heard, geopolitics is also at the center of 288 00:18:17,920 --> 00:18:20,800 Speaker 1: the push to bring chip making back to the US. 289 00:18:20,880 --> 00:18:23,760 Speaker 1: So let's hear from someone who studies how technology and 290 00:18:23,880 --> 00:18:29,040 Speaker 1: national security are increasingly intertwined. Doctor Sarah Krepps is a 291 00:18:29,040 --> 00:18:33,159 Speaker 1: professor of government at Cornell University and director of the 292 00:18:33,240 --> 00:18:35,359 Speaker 1: Cornell Tech Policy Institute. 293 00:18:35,880 --> 00:18:39,600 Speaker 3: There were many kind of long term factors that we're building, 294 00:18:39,920 --> 00:18:43,399 Speaker 3: you know, the rise of China in the case of semiconductors, 295 00:18:43,600 --> 00:18:47,880 Speaker 3: the share of American production of semiconductor chips had been 296 00:18:47,920 --> 00:18:50,639 Speaker 3: declining for thirty or forty years, but nothing really was 297 00:18:50,680 --> 00:18:55,000 Speaker 3: happening on policy side until COVID, and so COVID with 298 00:18:55,119 --> 00:18:59,399 Speaker 3: the lockdowns around the world in China, in Taiwan, in 299 00:18:59,560 --> 00:19:02,560 Speaker 3: South Korea, in the United States, that plus the demand 300 00:19:02,640 --> 00:19:06,800 Speaker 3: shock of these chips, really created kind of this log jam. 301 00:19:07,000 --> 00:19:11,560 Speaker 3: And this says that, wow, we can't access these chips 302 00:19:11,560 --> 00:19:15,000 Speaker 3: that are the centerpiece of everything from our cell phones 303 00:19:15,000 --> 00:19:18,639 Speaker 3: to our cars to our fighter airplanes. And so what 304 00:19:18,680 --> 00:19:22,719 Speaker 3: we need to do is reshore that industry so we 305 00:19:22,800 --> 00:19:25,880 Speaker 3: can build and resilience in our supply chain, but also 306 00:19:26,040 --> 00:19:27,960 Speaker 3: guard against national security risk. 307 00:19:28,240 --> 00:19:30,320 Speaker 2: And you know what has happened more recently is. 308 00:19:30,720 --> 00:19:34,359 Speaker 3: Build in some social safety net by building in some 309 00:19:34,560 --> 00:19:38,760 Speaker 3: expectations of if you take these incentives, here are these other. 310 00:19:38,600 --> 00:19:40,120 Speaker 2: Things that we expect you to do. 311 00:19:40,200 --> 00:19:43,120 Speaker 3: So it's sort of ticking off a number of boxes 312 00:19:43,160 --> 00:19:46,040 Speaker 3: at once. I think that policy window would have been 313 00:19:46,280 --> 00:19:49,720 Speaker 3: unopened had COVID not been this real shock to the system. 314 00:19:50,720 --> 00:19:54,480 Speaker 1: Are there potential downsides to this US focus on making 315 00:19:54,520 --> 00:19:57,240 Speaker 1: chips at home instead of partnering abroad. 316 00:19:57,960 --> 00:19:58,400 Speaker 2: Definitely. 317 00:19:58,400 --> 00:20:01,280 Speaker 3: One of the critiques of this is that this policy 318 00:20:01,440 --> 00:20:06,920 Speaker 3: may or really kind of privileges the resilience national security criterion, 319 00:20:07,520 --> 00:20:10,120 Speaker 3: which is to say that what the US is basically 320 00:20:10,160 --> 00:20:10,920 Speaker 3: saying is that. 321 00:20:10,920 --> 00:20:14,120 Speaker 2: Our most important priority is to have. 322 00:20:14,440 --> 00:20:17,920 Speaker 3: Resilience in the face of what I think some people 323 00:20:17,960 --> 00:20:21,200 Speaker 3: would consider a tail risk, which is a Chinese invasion 324 00:20:21,480 --> 00:20:25,919 Speaker 3: of Taiwan, where Taiwan TSMC produces on the island ninety 325 00:20:25,920 --> 00:20:30,000 Speaker 3: five percent of the most advanced semiconductor chips. And the 326 00:20:30,080 --> 00:20:33,560 Speaker 3: view is, well, what if that happens, we need to 327 00:20:33,560 --> 00:20:36,760 Speaker 3: be able to continue manufacturing those so we can run 328 00:20:36,800 --> 00:20:41,000 Speaker 3: our fighter planes and our iPhones. But the downside risk 329 00:20:41,080 --> 00:20:44,840 Speaker 3: of that is that US companies do a lot of 330 00:20:44,880 --> 00:20:48,240 Speaker 3: business with China. China is a huge customer of US 331 00:20:48,400 --> 00:20:49,040 Speaker 3: chip makers. 332 00:20:49,960 --> 00:20:52,840 Speaker 2: That is an unintended consequence. 333 00:20:52,280 --> 00:20:54,879 Speaker 3: And I think it is seen as well, that's just 334 00:20:54,960 --> 00:20:58,000 Speaker 3: what happens when you're prioritizing national security. 335 00:20:59,320 --> 00:21:01,080 Speaker 1: And do you think that when you do that kind 336 00:21:01,080 --> 00:21:04,080 Speaker 1: of risk benefit analysis, it's worth it to have that 337 00:21:04,200 --> 00:21:09,000 Speaker 1: short term loss of market, loss of I suppose innovation 338 00:21:09,240 --> 00:21:12,639 Speaker 1: and manufacturing capability for the long term gain of not 339 00:21:12,800 --> 00:21:17,919 Speaker 1: being dependent on China if the relationship should turn even worse. 340 00:21:19,040 --> 00:21:21,280 Speaker 3: Clearly in the Cold War with the US and the 341 00:21:21,320 --> 00:21:24,920 Speaker 3: Soviet Union, there were all kinds of these export restrictions, 342 00:21:25,320 --> 00:21:27,520 Speaker 3: and so in a lot of ways, this is nothing new. 343 00:21:27,640 --> 00:21:30,320 Speaker 3: But what's different here is that the US and China 344 00:21:30,359 --> 00:21:34,040 Speaker 3: had such a robust trade relationship and it really did 345 00:21:34,160 --> 00:21:37,280 Speaker 3: benefit overall, it benefited both countries. 346 00:21:37,840 --> 00:21:40,240 Speaker 2: So I think with policy, though. 347 00:21:40,080 --> 00:21:42,920 Speaker 3: It's always a question of trade offs, is that we're 348 00:21:42,920 --> 00:21:46,760 Speaker 3: trying to accomplish let's say five different things, and this 349 00:21:46,880 --> 00:21:50,600 Speaker 3: policy will really accomplish one or two of them, and 350 00:21:50,640 --> 00:21:54,880 Speaker 3: then these other three are going to be unfortunate casualties 351 00:21:55,080 --> 00:21:57,639 Speaker 3: of that policy. And I think that's not certainly not 352 00:21:57,760 --> 00:22:00,480 Speaker 3: how it would be pitched. But I think to the 353 00:22:00,520 --> 00:22:05,520 Speaker 3: extent that these policies are really aiming at decoupling this 354 00:22:05,640 --> 00:22:09,919 Speaker 3: trade relationship between the US and China, then it really 355 00:22:10,040 --> 00:22:16,760 Speaker 3: does undermine all of the insight and motivation that underlied globalization, 356 00:22:16,880 --> 00:22:21,239 Speaker 3: which is that we shouldn't all be producing everything in 357 00:22:21,280 --> 00:22:24,679 Speaker 3: our own country because it's not economically efficient. And so 358 00:22:25,160 --> 00:22:27,160 Speaker 3: you know, by saying that the US wants to reshore 359 00:22:27,240 --> 00:22:30,800 Speaker 3: these industries, essentially the US is saying we're not as 360 00:22:30,880 --> 00:22:34,560 Speaker 3: concerned about price. What we're concerned about is the supply 361 00:22:34,680 --> 00:22:36,080 Speaker 3: chain resilience. 362 00:22:36,359 --> 00:22:39,080 Speaker 1: That robust trade relationship with China, which is kind of 363 00:22:39,119 --> 00:22:43,560 Speaker 1: broken down now looks like it's pretty broken and doesn't 364 00:22:43,600 --> 00:22:47,280 Speaker 1: seem like it could easily be repaired. So is it 365 00:22:47,480 --> 00:22:51,560 Speaker 1: realistic to think that chips could be manufactured in the 366 00:22:51,560 --> 00:22:53,800 Speaker 1: way that you're saying, or is it that the US 367 00:22:53,840 --> 00:22:57,399 Speaker 1: and China really are going to need to manufacture them themselves. 368 00:22:58,760 --> 00:23:01,600 Speaker 3: I think they're probably short answers to that question. 369 00:23:01,680 --> 00:23:04,360 Speaker 2: But one of the maybe slightly longer answers. 370 00:23:04,000 --> 00:23:08,760 Speaker 3: Is that when China acceded to the World Trade Organization 371 00:23:09,240 --> 00:23:10,919 Speaker 3: in two thousand and one, I think there was a 372 00:23:10,960 --> 00:23:14,200 Speaker 3: lot of hope that playing field would be leveled, and 373 00:23:15,600 --> 00:23:18,879 Speaker 3: that's just not what happened. And I think what emerged 374 00:23:18,960 --> 00:23:21,680 Speaker 3: as China started to become more dominant in the two 375 00:23:21,720 --> 00:23:24,399 Speaker 3: thousands and the reality that tech would be at the 376 00:23:24,400 --> 00:23:29,360 Speaker 3: center of this is the restrictions on five G. But then, 377 00:23:29,720 --> 00:23:32,680 Speaker 3: what I think is surprising in some senses is that 378 00:23:32,960 --> 00:23:37,240 Speaker 3: President Trump had campaigned on this very aggressive d couple 379 00:23:37,440 --> 00:23:41,040 Speaker 3: US from China kind of trade policy that I think 380 00:23:41,160 --> 00:23:44,639 Speaker 3: was easily chalked up to just, well, he's sort of 381 00:23:44,880 --> 00:23:47,480 Speaker 3: unusual in SUI generous and a lot of his policies. 382 00:23:47,520 --> 00:23:51,800 Speaker 3: And what's interesting, though, is the Biden administration took up 383 00:23:52,040 --> 00:23:55,680 Speaker 3: really all of these policies and expanded these trade restrictions. 384 00:23:56,119 --> 00:23:59,400 Speaker 3: So it doesn't seem like there is any near term 385 00:23:59,480 --> 00:24:03,600 Speaker 3: converged of these kinds of alignment of these trade relationships, 386 00:24:03,640 --> 00:24:08,119 Speaker 3: and if anything, it just continues to seem to diverge. 387 00:24:08,359 --> 00:24:10,840 Speaker 1: And do you think there's any desire on China's side 388 00:24:10,880 --> 00:24:14,600 Speaker 1: to maintain or renew that kind of relationship because they 389 00:24:14,640 --> 00:24:16,160 Speaker 1: seem to be diverging as well. 390 00:24:16,640 --> 00:24:20,040 Speaker 3: It does seem like China has taken a kind of 391 00:24:20,440 --> 00:24:24,160 Speaker 3: turn inward where they're also pretty happy to be kind 392 00:24:24,160 --> 00:24:27,760 Speaker 3: of less integrated globally as well. And so that's the 393 00:24:27,800 --> 00:24:30,440 Speaker 3: way in which maybe we could say the incentives are aligned, 394 00:24:30,520 --> 00:24:33,840 Speaker 3: is that all of these countries now are turning inward. 395 00:24:34,280 --> 00:24:37,640 Speaker 3: You know, the European Union, for example, has initiated its 396 00:24:37,680 --> 00:24:41,199 Speaker 3: own kind of version of the CHIPAC to try to 397 00:24:41,240 --> 00:24:44,840 Speaker 3: create these incentives to reshore some of the chip industry 398 00:24:45,040 --> 00:24:47,480 Speaker 3: in Europe as well, because they've also gone from forty 399 00:24:47,480 --> 00:24:49,800 Speaker 3: percent market shared to ten percent in the last three 400 00:24:49,840 --> 00:24:50,560 Speaker 3: or four decades. 401 00:24:51,000 --> 00:24:53,520 Speaker 2: And so the problem with it is that you have. 402 00:24:53,480 --> 00:24:56,760 Speaker 3: A pie of one hundred and all of these countries, 403 00:24:56,800 --> 00:24:58,840 Speaker 3: the US and European Union are trying to get from 404 00:24:58,920 --> 00:25:01,199 Speaker 3: ten percent back up till let's say twenty percent. 405 00:25:01,680 --> 00:25:04,080 Speaker 2: But someone's going to lose here, and so. 406 00:25:04,080 --> 00:25:06,399 Speaker 3: They're all trying these same policies. And I think it 407 00:25:06,480 --> 00:25:10,040 Speaker 3: really is kind of a collision course because it does 408 00:25:10,200 --> 00:25:13,320 Speaker 3: look like protectionism, because you know, South Korea is trying 409 00:25:13,359 --> 00:25:15,119 Speaker 3: to do this. All of them now are trying to 410 00:25:15,200 --> 00:25:19,119 Speaker 3: kind of shore up no pun intended, but their domestic 411 00:25:19,240 --> 00:25:21,600 Speaker 3: industry is to try to get a piece of this pie. 412 00:25:22,240 --> 00:25:26,200 Speaker 1: And I guess that raises this kind of question looking forward, 413 00:25:26,240 --> 00:25:30,080 Speaker 1: which is the US wants to bring home manufacturing in 414 00:25:30,119 --> 00:25:33,160 Speaker 1: part for domestic policy reasons, put Americans back to work, 415 00:25:33,240 --> 00:25:36,760 Speaker 1: partly to protect against supply chain disruptions. And as you say, 416 00:25:36,800 --> 00:25:40,480 Speaker 1: this potential risk that China would invade Taiwan and then 417 00:25:40,680 --> 00:25:45,320 Speaker 1: have all of Taiwan's chip manufacturing capability. But what about 418 00:25:45,320 --> 00:25:51,040 Speaker 1: creating other partnerships with European nations instead of every country 419 00:25:51,119 --> 00:25:52,280 Speaker 1: doing it themselves. 420 00:25:52,960 --> 00:25:55,440 Speaker 3: So that's something I've written about in publications with the 421 00:25:55,480 --> 00:25:59,199 Speaker 3: Brookings Institution, which is this idea of near shoring and 422 00:25:59,320 --> 00:26:02,680 Speaker 3: friendshoring that has gotten some traction I think in policy circles, 423 00:26:03,040 --> 00:26:05,000 Speaker 3: not because of what I've written, but I think that 424 00:26:05,000 --> 00:26:06,680 Speaker 3: that has become. 425 00:26:06,880 --> 00:26:09,359 Speaker 2: A new watch word, which is, well, there must be 426 00:26:09,440 --> 00:26:10,000 Speaker 2: a third way. 427 00:26:10,040 --> 00:26:13,399 Speaker 3: There must be something in between everyone trying to reshore 428 00:26:13,440 --> 00:26:18,280 Speaker 3: everything and globalization kind of status quo ante. And I 429 00:26:18,280 --> 00:26:20,359 Speaker 3: think that idea makes a ton of sense, which is 430 00:26:20,640 --> 00:26:23,160 Speaker 3: there are some countries that do these things really well. 431 00:26:23,200 --> 00:26:26,880 Speaker 3: We're very close partners with those countries or they're close by, 432 00:26:27,240 --> 00:26:30,520 Speaker 3: so that is becoming I think an attractive third way 433 00:26:30,600 --> 00:26:33,000 Speaker 3: that friends showing or near showing to kind of try 434 00:26:33,040 --> 00:26:36,440 Speaker 3: to optimize on that idea of the resilience and national 435 00:26:36,440 --> 00:26:40,760 Speaker 3: security that we discussed earlier, without the adverse consequences of 436 00:26:40,960 --> 00:26:43,560 Speaker 3: you know, the cost consequences, let's say. 437 00:26:44,200 --> 00:26:46,880 Speaker 1: Doctor Sarah Craps, thanks so much for coming on the show. 438 00:26:47,280 --> 00:26:50,600 Speaker 1: Thanks Liz, thanks for listening to us here at The 439 00:26:50,600 --> 00:26:53,840 Speaker 1: Big Take. It's a daily podcast from Bloomberg and iHeartRadio. 440 00:26:54,080 --> 00:26:58,360 Speaker 1: For more shows from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 441 00:26:58,440 --> 00:27:00,959 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen. And I'd love to hear from you. 442 00:27:01,160 --> 00:27:04,440 Speaker 1: Email us questions or comments to Big Take at Bloomberg 443 00:27:04,480 --> 00:27:07,520 Speaker 1: dot net. The supervising producer of the Big Take is 444 00:27:07,600 --> 00:27:11,840 Speaker 1: Vicky Bergalina. Our senior producer is Katherine Fink. Our producers 445 00:27:11,880 --> 00:27:16,280 Speaker 1: are Michael Falero and Moberrow. Raphael m Sey is our engineer. 446 00:27:16,600 --> 00:27:20,400 Speaker 1: Our original music was composed by Leo Sidrin. I'm West Kasova. 447 00:27:20,640 --> 00:27:22,920 Speaker 1: We'll be back tomorrow with another Big Take.