EP#388: CHIPS Can’t Dip

Circuit Break - A MacroFab Podcast

This week we’re joined by David Schild, the Executive Director of the Printed Circuit Board Association of America (PCBAA). PCBAA is a consortium of American companies supporting domestic production of printed circuit boards and the materials they are made of. An established leader and trusted advocate, Schild has over 20 years of experience managing political involvement, corporate public relations and public policy efforts for the aerospace and defense industry and advocates for the CHIPS Act and PCBS Act.

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Guests:

• David Schild from the PCBAA

Intro to U.S. public policy impacting the microelectronic industry

• The impact of globalization, corporate consolidation, and reshoring
• The CHIPS Act as a model and way forward to avoid supply chain issues
• Bringing manufacturing ecosystems back to America
• The CHIPS Act’s $52 billion endowment with tax credits to motivate companies to create in America

How far can American manufacturing subsidies really go?

• “Private money follows public action”
• We’re down to single points of failure; one thing goes down, everything goes down worldwide
• Engineers don’t often get elected to Congress
• Fostering options for young Americans to follow career paths via local microelectronics
• “The things we make in America, we can invent in America”

Summary/Takeaways:

• Making PCBs relatable to the general public and politicians is crucial
• The CHIPS and PCBs acts are a good start, but not enough

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