Taiwan and American officials discuss chips-related issues in Taipei in this undated photo. Photo courtesy of AIT
Taipei, Nov. 1 (CNA) American officials from the CHIPS Program Office (CPO) were in Taiwan last week as part of a larger trip to the region to explain funding opportunities for investments in the United States, an American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) spokesperson said Wednesday.
In a Facebook post last Friday, AIT said two senior officials from the CHIPS Program Office (CPO), one of two offices administering the US$39 billion budget from the CHIPS Act, joined AIT officials in Taipei and Kaohsiung in informing Taiwanese small chip material and equipment suppliers about funding opportunities under the CHIPS and Science Act.
"[The CPO senior officials'] efforts have been instrumental in enhancing these suppliers' understanding of the available funding opportunities," the Facebook post said.
In a reply to CNA's inquiry, the spokesperson said Wednesday that the officials visited Taiwan from Oct. 23 to Oct. 25 as part of a larger trip to the region, which also included stops in Japan and South Korea.
"The primary purpose of their visit was to inform semiconductor materials suppliers about the recent Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) released on September 29," the spokesperson said.
During their time in Taiwan, CPO representatives met with over 20 semiconductor suppliers in both Taipei and Kaohsiung to discuss the latest funding opportunities available via the CHIPS and Science Act, the spokesperson said.
The CHIPS and Science Act, officially signed into law by U.S. President Joe Biden in 2022, was aimed at getting semiconductor manufacturers to invest in America and making it less dependent on overseas chip suppliers, including those in Taiwan.
The legislation provided US$52.7 billion for American semiconductor research, development, manufacturing, and workforce development, including US$39 billion in manufacturing incentives.
Since the law came out, however, there has been some confusion on what types of companies would be eligible for subsidies under the act, including whether suppliers of semiconductor materials would qualify.
The NOFO attempts to clarify eligibility, saying it applies to companies with "a demonstrated ability" to "construct, expand, or modernize a facility relating to the fabrication, assembly, testing, advanced packaging, production, or research and development of semiconductors, materials used to manufacture semiconductors or semiconductor manufacturing equipment."
According to a Reuters report on Oct. 28, no awards have been issued yet, and it is still not clear when the U.S. Commerce Department will announce awards.
It was also reported that Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo told the U.S. Congress that the government should streamline the process for new projects and make it more efficient and user-friendly.
more OCAC News, welcome to
OCACNEWS.NET.
