On August 9th, 2022, the United States President Joe Biden signed the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) and Science Act to encourage the mass production of semiconductors. In hopes to boost the economy of the nation, this act acts as an incentive to help create more jobs and revolutionize the infrastructure.

Semiconductor devices includes junction components, such as diodes, bipolar transistors, field-effect transistors (FET), heterojunction transistors, etc. are the dominant components used in data storage, communication transmission, artificial intelligence, and other nanotechnologies. Engineers use these semiconductors to build everyday devices: cell phones, computers, TVs, and any essential electronic devices one can name. In a contemporary perspective, 5G technologies, photonics, and renewable energy heavily rely on the progression of semiconductor research.

The Electrical and Computer Engineering Department in UC Davis has a large faculty group that focuses on the development of semiconductors. On a research side, for example, Distinguished Professor Jerry Woodall, is the recipient of the National Medal of Technology and Innovation (NMTI) in 2001, medalled by former president George H. W. Bush. A significant recognized work of Dr. Woodall is applying Aluminum Gallium Arsenide to create red LEDs, used in traffic lights and entertainment media devices, like DVD players and remote controls. In another recent study, Professor Saif Islam slowed down the speed of light to improve the agriculture using semiconductors. And located in Kemper Hall, the Center for Nano and Micro Manufacturing (CNM2) provides services that fabricates semiconductors.

Today, on a more educational side, Professor Charles Hunt teaches EEC 145, a course on electronic materials, and Professor Erkin Şeker teaches EEC 146A, a course on fabrication. Beyond fabrication, many faculties use semiconductor components to craft integrated circuits. Professor Stephen Lewis teaches EEC 213, Data-Conversion Techniques and Circuits, which is a class that explores methods of using operational amplifiers and metal-oxide-semiconductor FETs to create analog-to-digital converters and digital-to-analog converters. Just by naming a few faculty members, UC Davis already has a strong semiconductor background. Alongside with the Material Science and Engineering Department, this new potential grant could project an ever higher result in semiconductor research in UC Davis.

The $52 billion signed bill aspires to increase the production of more applications in semiconductor devices. Micron already announced to allocate $40 billion on memory chip production. Since the US currently only produces around 10% of the world's semiconductors, this bill will likely encourage semiconductor-based companies like Micron and Qualcomm to produce more, making the nation more competitive with others, progress the industry much faster, and improving the everyday lifestyle of many.