The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) and Arizona State University recently joined forces to host the first North American Semiconductor Conference (NASC) in Washington D.C. in May. The forum, held during the week of May 19, was moderated by John Neuffer, CEO of SIA.

Workforce development, research and development, critical mineral/environmental protections, and coordinating mutually beneficial government incentive programs were the four major areas of focus covered during the conference.

The NASC was launched in January 2023 by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López-Obrador and U.S. President Joe Biden as part of a multifaceted effort to “re-balance and rebuild” the Western Hemisphere's semiconductor supply chains. The NASC aims to create a semiconductor development ecosystem in North America that builds on the existing strengths of Canada, Mexico and the United States, eventually allowing all three countries to better compete in the global semiconductor sector.

“NASC holds great promise as a critical platform to help re-balance the global semiconductor supply chain and bring more manufacturing, assembly, test, packaging and design to the North America region,” wrote Rina Pal-Goetzen, director of Global Policy at SIA, in a blog post. “SIA looks forward to playing a collaborative role as this important new effort progresses in the months and years ahead.”