Brown and other governors of Western states are pressing federal lawmakers to immediately fund the $52 billion dollar CHIPS Act.
The legislation would subsidize semiconductor manufacturers who build new factories in the U.S.
The idea is to reduce dependence on Asian chipmakers.
The CHIPS Act could also fund research and development of the microchips that are ubiquitous in modern life. Global shortages have plagued automakers and other manufacturers.
Intel … Oregon’s largest private employer … would be an obvious beneficiary of the law.
The chipmaker plans to spend $40 billion dollars on new factories in Ohio and Arizona. It has said the pace of its expansion depends on what subsidies it gets from the federal government.