Mike Rogoway at The Oregonian /Oregon Live is one of the best journalists in the Pacific Northwest. He covers the Silicon Forest and Intel in particular, and is spot on with his facts. He rarely speculates. Our work includes more boots-on-the-ground research and projections on our growth here in Hillsboro, including the cloak and dagger game now being played out by our City and North Plains at Jackson School Road and Meek Road. Something big is happening- or someone is trying to make it happen, and no one is talking. Not land owners, not City staff, and not anyone at the State level.
Rogoway wrote an intriguing story this past week.
In this story, he interprets a letter sent on August 8th by five top Oregon Congress members to Gina Raimondo, Secretary of the US Department of Commerce, and Dr. Laurie Locascio, Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The letter heaps praise on the Biden Administration and the CHIPS Act and then illustrates how Oregon has made the most of the Millions and Billions being handed out. It praises the State’s accomplishments so far, the workforce training development, the incredible tools, and the R&D that Intel has here in Hillsboro, among many more targeted points. Rogoway, in reading this, opines that the letter is a direct attempt for Oregon to position itself as one of three sites that will receive a National Semiconductor Technology Center.
That big thing I keep saying could be coming; the other shoe that will drop and explain Hillsboro’s leaders’ aggressive behavior must be this. At this point, our technology firms are having a horrible Summer. Intel is down for the eighth count, and the referee is at 7. Their stock has bottomed to an all-time low, and the media and investment tech sector analysts are pouring on the bad news. Could one of these centers bail out Intel, buoy Hillsboro, and the State of Oregon’s coiffures? It appears we are about to find out.
Earlier this year, the City of Hillsboro released information that their team was going after one of the three Technology Centers. At that time, the budget was estimated to be about $5 Billion of CHIPS ACT money that would flow into these projects.
“Already home to the largest and most mature semiconductor research center in the United States, Hillsboro has three decades of experience working with industry and the community. Hillsboro continues to deliver success in areas such as workforce development, incentives, public benefit, and industrial infrastructure and site readiness.
The semiconductor cluster in Hillsboro’s Silicon Forest is one of three places in the world — and the only place in the United States — producing leading edge research and development for semiconductor manufacturing.
As a result, the City of Hillsboro, and its partners throughout Oregon, have a special obligation to step up and support national security and economic prosperity objectives. This commitment is driving the State of Oregon and its coalition of partners to work together to garner a National Semiconductor Technology Center designation. The designation will secure future investments in Oregon and in our community to maintain our position of innovation leadership for the next generation.
Hillsboro offers the federal government the greatest competitive advantage and return on investment, as it considers where to invest $5 billion in National Semiconductor Technology Center funding.”
City of Hillsboro – https://www.hillsboro-oregon.gov/Home/Components/News/News/15603/
Where would such a facility fit? Undeveloped farmland outside the Urban Growth boundary is under option along Jackson School Road. An even better option is the 500+ acres of land that is already in the UGB and which has urban services just North of the Data Center canyons at NW Starr Blvd. and Huffman Street. That land is mostly already owned by the City of Hillsboro and would be a prime spot for one of these big research centers.
What would one of these facilities look like? How big would it be? Would it be a stand-alone campus or perhaps an adjunct set of buildings next to Intel or another chip company? All of that is leading to speculation. Having said that, $5 billion dollars will be a big facility, but it will not be something that covers hundreds of acres.
Who will be selected, and where will these three highly sought-after facilities be placed?
For those of you with a technology background, the selection team released a 22-minute video that is well done and comprehensive.
On July 12, 2024, the Department of Commerce and Natcast, the operator of the National Semiconductor Technology Center (NSTC), announced the processes for selecting the first three R&D facilities funded through the CHIPS and Science Act. The facilities include a NSTC Prototyping and National Advanced Packaging Manufacturing Program (NAPMP) Advanced Packaging Piloting Facility, a NSTC Administrative and Design Facility, and a NSTC extreme ultraviolet (EUV) Center. This is an informational video explaining the facilities model and section process.
Watch The Video Here – https://www.nist.gov/video/chips-america-research-development-rd-facilities-model-process
Here are the criteria that the selection agencies will be looking at. How does Hillsboro stack up?
Phase 1 – The Department and Natcast will consider the following factors as they seek to identify the best
semiconductor ecosystems:
• Industry Presence: The presence and planned growth of the semiconductor value chain, such as
commercial semiconductor fabrication plants, advanced semiconductor packaging facilities,
semiconductor equipment and material suppliers, and semiconductor design companies;
• Availability of Workers: The number of people currently working in semiconductor design,
manufacturing, or closely-related fields and types of expertise;
• Advanced Microelectronics Education and Research: The number and caliber of university research
and advanced degree programs focused on microelectronics;
• Workforce Development: The number and quality of semiconductor-focused training programs;
• Investment: The amount of private and public investments in the semiconductor industry in the
previous decade;• State/Territory Support: The number and type of benefits, incentives, and/or initiatives that benefit
the semiconductor industry.
Given these unique ecosystem features, the Department and Natcast expect only a limited number of states
and territories to possess a thriving and vibrant semiconductor ecosystem capable of hosting this facility.
Phase 2 – Site Evaluation
Phase 2 will allow invited states and territories to provide detailed information about specific proposed sites
for the NSTC Prototyping and NAPMP Advanced Packaging Piloting Facility in their state or territory, such as:
• Real Estate and Infrastructure: The characteristics of the specific real estate proposed, including
alignment to physical and technical specifications provided by Natcast and the Department;
environmental factors; and the existence of certain utilities and other infrastructure;
• Costs: The key estimated one-time and operating costs for the facility;
• Operating Environment: The anticipated timing to achieve buildout and full-scale operations and
potential operating risks for the specific site and location;
• Non-Federal Support: The extent and level of non-federal support such as state and local incentives
and private capital;
• Proposed Partnership Approach: Proposed partnerships with entities (e.g., companies, universities,
research organizations, workforce providers, state and local governments) in the region to support the
mission; and
• Site-Specific Semiconductor Ecosystem Attributes: Whether the site will sufficiently benefit from the
thriving and vibrant semiconductor ecosystem in the state or territory.
Read the Letter from our politicians here: https://www.wyden.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/raimondo_locasio_letter.pdf
The letter ends with a direct invitation for the Federal team to come back to Oregon and see what has been happening-
““We invite you to return to Oregon to celebrate the accomplishments we’ve made because of the CHIPS and Science Act and its historic investments in Oregon’s thriving semiconductor industry,” our Congressional team wrote.”
In closing, let me say that this makes sense. We have some of the best high-level R&D research engineers, chip designers, and computer scientists in the world here in Hillsboro. Intel may have lost its edge in innovation and creation, but the company is too big to fail. Many others are working here in the semiconductor and chip sector, none the least of which is superstar former Intel President Renee James and her amazing team at Ampere Computing. There is a woman that Intel could have had successfully running the company, and they let her slip away. Check out that resume! Wow. The point is, that we have many of the key elements needed to make the final cut.
I see this move by the Federal Government as essential for our country’s future and security. We need great computer chips, and we need to build them in the US. We also need jobs. We need to not rely on others outside our borders. This whole thing is just such a replay of what we went through with Boeing over the last 40 years.
The question now is, will Hillsboro win this lottery, and will they carefully handle our precious lands, our citizen’s best interests, and the environment of our community and the surrounding lands? With better care of our resources and some long-term commitments in writing to value and preserve our remaining farmlands properly, this might work. Some of the reading I did in researching this article indicates that the decision is being made this Fall, and by the chill in the air tonight, we are reminded that it is coming sooner than later.
Best of luck to all sides as this saga plays out. Hillsboro and its people are once again in the midst of a battle to keep Oregon vibrant and viable as a State.
Resources used in the writing of this news article can be accessed at the links below:
