High Performance Microchip Supply - Under Secretary of Defense ...

RECOMMENDATIONS ____________________________________________________________
high-level participation by DOD and the intelligence agencies is
essential.
University and independent laboratory work has played an
important role in microelectronic history in that it has sown the seeds
for major technological shifts. Much of the basic work in advanced
lithography, novel computer architectures (such as the Reduced
Instruction Set Computer [RISC]) and in development of computer
design aids, without which complex IC circuit and process design
would not be possible, arose from such research efforts. Industry
research, while healthy and well-funded, excels at extension of
existing technological trends (e.g., efforts promoted by the
International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors 36 ). At a time
when the effectiveness of conventional approaches to the extension of
Moore’s Law are nearing their end, new ideas are essential to
continue the progress on which the industry and future military
systems depend.
The United States must increase its university research funding to
ensure that it remains an attractive and competitive location for the
most talented students and faculty from around the world in this
field. The National Science Foundation (NSF) has been a major
supporter of university research in the physical sciences. The NSF
Authorization Act of 2000 authorized a doubling of NSF budgets over
a six-year period. The act includes specific increases in
nanotechnology and networking and information technology.
Congress should appropriate the funds necessary to achieve the NSF
Authorization Act’s goals.
The intelligence agencies should continue to monitor the global
state of the microelectronics technology to determine where
additional effort is required to keep the United States ahead of, or at
least equal to, the world state of the art in critical fields.
36. International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors, jointly sponsored by the European
Semiconductor Association, the Japan Electronics and Information Technology
Association, the Korean Semiconductor Industry Association, the Taiwan
Semiconductor Industry Association and the Semiconductor Industry Association.
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