The semiconductor industry faces a new challenge as President Donald Trump’s administration plans to cut approximately 500 jobs at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), potentially jeopardizing the future of the CHIPS Act. Analyst Robert Maire said these cuts could effectively kill the initiative to bolster domestic semiconductor manufacturing, which included roughly $39 billion in subsidies.
"If there are no employees left to administer the CHIPS Act program, it is dead by default, as there is no one left to certify that companies have met their requirements, let alone write the checks," Maire warned in a note to clients.
