CHIPS and Science Act has local impacts in Beaverton nearly a year after becoming law

PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) - They’re tiny but have a big role in our daily lives.

Semiconductors are made right here in Oregon, home of the so-called Silicon Forest.

“We have always been the leaders in technology. You basically can’t do anything in semiconductors in America without technology that comes out of Washington County,” Senator Ron Wyden said.

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Thanks to the CHIPS and Science Act, signed into law by President Joe Biden last August, companies like Analog Devices in Beaverton have reaped the benefits.

They have a $1 billion expansion in the works because of investment tax credits from the law.

“That is super important for us because that’s something that’s really going to happen over the next few months and as that goes into place, that’s really big for all the semiconductor companies,” Corporate Vice President of fab operations at Analog Devices, Fred Bailey, said. “The grants that we’ll potentially get from the CHIPS act will also benefit us, but it may not be as immediate.”

Bailey said this expansion allows them to be a reliable, local supply chain for their customers after a rocky few years when some projects were expected to take a year or more to finish.

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“We saw that there were definitely issues in the semiconductor supply chain so having this capability with our hybrid manufacturing and having this increased capacity, this will allow us to meet customer demand very quickly and avoid situations like we had during the COVID issue,” Bailey said.

To remain competitive in the industry, State Representative Janelle Bynum said there’s more work that needs to be done to increase the workforce, like preparing students before they graduate and ensure housing for those workers.

“We need roads, we need water infrastructure, we need broadband. That’s the unfinished business that I think senate bill 4 left us with and that’s what we’ll continue to work on,” Bynum said.

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