Friday, 06 Dec On this day ...
Founders of Fairchild Semiconductor, co-inventors of the integrated circuit. Sunnyvale, CA, 1961. Image: Computer History Museum
Q1. The CHIPS Act of 2022 committed $260b to building up US manufacturing and technology. Part of that is $19b in loans and grants to Intel to build a semiconductor manufacturing plant in Ohio that is estimated to cost $28b.
The construction, expected to be completed by 2028, will employ 7,000 people, and the plant, once open, will employ 3,000.
Do you approve of the government's loans and grants to Intel for this plant?
The construction, expected to be completed by 2028, will employ 7,000 people, and the plant, once open, will employ 3,000.
Do you approve of the government's loans and grants to Intel for this plant?
male
female
rep
ind
dem
18-29
30-44
45-64
65+
Yes
73%
72%
74%
60%
68%
84%
77%
73%
68%
76%
No
17%
19%
13%
28%
21%
7%
12%
17%
20%
16%
Don't know
10%
8%
12%
10%
9%
10%
10%
10%
11%
8%
Don't care
0%
0%
1%
1%
2%
0%
1%
0%
1%
0%
Q2. The vast majority US semiconductor companies do not manufacture chips, they design them. For instance, the largest US chip company, Nvidia, with a market cap of $2 trillion, outsources all its chip manufacture to Taiwanese company TSMC.
Intel, likewise, does not manufacture chips, thus the new plant is a massive change in their business model. It is unknown if US manufacturers will be competitive with Taiwanese manufacturers, which today are responsible for 90% of global high-end chip manufacturing.
Do you think it is important to manufacture chips in the US, and do you think the Intel plant will able to compete without further government assistance with Taiwanese manufacturers? (check all that apply)
Intel, likewise, does not manufacture chips, thus the new plant is a massive change in their business model. It is unknown if US manufacturers will be competitive with Taiwanese manufacturers, which today are responsible for 90% of global high-end chip manufacturing.
Do you think it is important to manufacture chips in the US, and do you think the Intel plant will able to compete without further government assistance with Taiwanese manufacturers? (check all that apply)
male
female
rep
ind
dem
18-29
30-44
45-64
65+
Important to make chips in US
95%
93%
96%
98%
88%
93%
86%
97%
96%
95%
Not important
4%
5%
2%
2%
8%
5%
13%
2%
2%
2%
Intel plant will be able to compete
51%
47%
56%
43%
46%
57%
38%
56%
50%
54%
Won't
26%
33%
18%
31%
28%
22%
40%
31%
23%
17%
Don't know
10%
7%
12%
8%
14%
11%
10%
7%
13%
9%
Don't care
0%
0%
0%
0%
1%
0%
0%
0%
0%
Q3. Another CHIPS Act allocation is $12b to the Taiwanese company TSMC to build a chip plant in Arizona, and $6b to South Korean firm Samsung to build one in Texas.
The AZ plant is expected to employ 4,500 people. Technician jobs, which do not require college degrees, will pay about $65k per year, and engineering roles, which do require college degrees, will pay about $125k.
Do you approve of the loans to TSMC and Samsung? (check all that apply)
The AZ plant is expected to employ 4,500 people. Technician jobs, which do not require college degrees, will pay about $65k per year, and engineering roles, which do require college degrees, will pay about $125k.
Do you approve of the loans to TSMC and Samsung? (check all that apply)
male
female
rep
ind
dem
18-29
30-44
45-64
65+
TSMC loan approve
69%
67%
72%
54%
67%
82%
71%
69%
65%
74%
Disapprove
19%
24%
13%
35%
22%
7%
21%
20%
20%
16%
Samsung loan approve
66%
66%
67%
54%
65%
75%
63%
67%
62%
71%
Disapprove
20%
24%
13%
32%
21%
9%
24%
24%
18%
14%
Don't know
10%
7%
14%
8%
9%
11%
8%
9%
12%
9%
Don't care
0%
0%
0%
0%
1%
0%
0%
0%
0%
In 2022, 62% supported passage of the CHIPS Act.
46% thought the regional hubs "would work," 21% thought they would not
28 Comments on the Poll