President Joe Biden holds a slice in the speech before signing an executive order aimed at addressing a global shortage of semiconductors in the State Dining Room at the White House in Washington, USA, on February 24, 2021.
Jonathan Ernst | Reuters
CEOs of companies including Google parent Alphabet, AT&T, Intel and General Motors will attend a virtual summit in the White House on Monday to address the global shortage of semiconductors.
The summit comes as the Biden government reviews key US supply chains, including those for semiconductors, high-capacity batteries, medical supplies and rare earth metals. The shortage of computer chips has affected a variety of industries, from electric vehicle manufacturers to medical supplies.
Car manufacturers such as GM and Ford recently had to reduce production estimates or extend downtime to address the shortage. The supply chain was initially affected early in the Covid pandemic, as much of the world’s chips are manufactured in Asia, where the crisis first occurred.
U.S. officials and lawmakers have underscored the potential security implications of the country’s confidence in other countries for semiconductors. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y., said in February that “semiconductor manufacturing is a dangerously weak spot in our economy and in our national security.”
In terms of economic and national security, the supply chain evaluation outlined by Biden’s executive order in February seeks to examine the resilience and capacity of the U.S. manufacturing supply chains and defense industry base to support national security. [and] emergency preparation. ‘
The White House also said it was trying to review gaps in local manufacturing and supply chains dominated by “countries that are or will become unfriendly or unstable”.
Although China is not explicitly referred to in the White House investigation, it is likely a major attempt by the government to determine how dependent the U.S. economy and military are on a critical group of Chinese exports.
According to the White House, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and NEC Director Brian Deese will be joined by Trade Secretary Gina Raimondo. Participants will discuss White House Biden’s American Jobs Plan and how to strengthen the U.S. semiconductor supply chain.
Here is a complete list of companies whose executives want to participate in the summit:
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