After decades of offshoring, Americans are returning to the factory floor, and our elected officials and business leaders are now investing in American manufacturing because it aids our economy and strengthens our national security. Whether it’s a data center powering the next generation of artificial intelligence (AI) or an automated factory building a state-of-the-art drone, America’s manufacturing renaissance depends on microelectronics.
Our ambitious national goal to win the AI race has created a demand for millions of computer servers containing billions of printed circuit boards and chips. AI data centers handle data ranging from innocuous computer queries to the most sensitive national defense and economic content. Our most serious global competitor in this race to invent and own the future is, of course, China. It is deeply concerning that we depend on China for both data center server components and dual-use items in our national defense systems.
The Pentagon is rightly emphasizing the need to adopt commercial models for acquiring new weapon systems. Unfortunately, dual-use and commercial off-the-shelf components often include Chinese content. Because supply chains become murky after two or three levels of investigation, American data centers and electronics subsystem manufacturers are vulnerable to security compromises and supply chain interruptions when foreign content is contained in their systems. This same vulnerability exists in our critical infrastructure, including telecommunications, banking, medical systems, air traffic control, and others.
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