US will need 'CHIPS Act 2' investment into semiconductor manufacturing to be the best for AI

The 2022 CHIPS Act saw $39 billion in direct grants, plus loans and loan guarantees worth $75 billion to spark up domestic semiconductor production in the United States... and it needs way more money.

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US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said that the US needs continued investment in semiconductor manufacturing in order to take global leadership and meet demand from AI technologies. Raimondo said: "I suspect there will have to be - whether you call it Chips Two or something else - continued investment if we want to lead the world. We fell pretty far. We took our eye off the ball. When I talk to him or other customers in the industry, the volume of chips that they project they need is mind boggling".

Intel has plans for a $20 billion plant in Ohio and a $20 billion expansion of its plant in Arizona and is also in discussions for a further $10 billion in grant and loan incentives. Intel recently announced its first customer for its new Intel 18A process node: Microsoft. Microsoft is building a new chip using Intel 18A in the future, while Intel teased its next-gen Intel 14A process node for 2026 when it plans to be the home of making the fastest chips in the world.

Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger said on Wednesday that an award announcement was coming "very soon," while Raimondo didn't have a comment on the timing of Intel's award when she spoke. She did call Intel "an American champion company" and that the company "has a very huge role to play in this revitalization".