MITRE’s Response to the OSTP RFI Seeking Comments on the Draft National Strategy on Microelectronics Research

What’s the issue?

The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (Public Law 116-283) established the Subcommittee on Microelectronics Research (within the National Science and Technology Council [NSTC]) and charged the Subcommittee with the development of a national strategy on microelectronics research, development, manufacturing, and supply chain security. The Subcommittee crafted a draft strategy and sought review and comment prior to finalizing. “The final National Strategy will seek to ensure that advances in microelectronics R&D and their applications to agency missions and the broader national interest continue unabated in this critical field. The strategy will provide guidance for agency leaders, program managers, and the research community regarding planning and implementation of microelectronics R&D investments and activities and ensure they are synergistic with the broader CHIPS legislation and activities.”

What did we do?

The Center for Data-Driven Policy led a cross-MITRE analysis of the draft Strategy, seeking to uncover data and evidence (from our work in the public interest) that would help the Subcommittee enhance and finalize the strategy to help ensure that it will be evidence-based, actionable, and will lead to their desired outcomes.

What did we find?

Overall, we found the document to be accurate, comprehensive, and without major omissions, and we provide recommendations to further enhance the document and its impact. We identified six primary challenges in creating the required microelectronics workforce, identified intellectual property concerns, and recommended that subsequent work implementing the strategy take a national, systematic, and time-based approach.