On July 31, the Technology Competitiveness and Industrial Policy Center (TCIP.org) held its inaugural TCIP Center Summer Retreat at Chaminade Resort & Spa in Santa Cruz, CA.

The Summer Retreat brought together selected policy study leads and other key participants from industry and academia for a robust discussion on timely topics of interest, Center objectives, and opportunities for collaboration looking ahead.

Among the participants were prominent invited speakers from University of California, Berkeley, Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Stanford University. TCIP Center founder, Mark Liu, gave opening remarks, and discussed the Center’s unique approach to technology competitiveness and industrial policy. Also leading the conversation was Shankar Sastry, TCIP Center faculty director and University of California, Berkeley professor.

The day-long agenda began with a morning of selected study overviews and feedback discussions. Updates were presented on current TCIP Center policy studies:

• Technology Leadership in Rechargeable Electrochemical Batteries: Exploring industrial policies to achieve leadership in rechargeable battery technology research and development and advanced manufacturing for economic prosperity, national security, and social benefit.
• Global Shift Toward EVs and Challenges to American Competitiveness: Examining the global shift toward electric vehicles, the resulting challenge to American competitiveness in this sector, and what it would take to develop a vibrant American EV industry.
• Semiconductor Manufacturing Ecosystems: Understanding the role of ecosystems for advanced semiconductor manufacturing in the U.S., including the current state of the ecosystem in Arizona, a study of other U.S. ecosystems, and a comparison with ecosystems in other countries.
• Scaling Wide-Bandgap Technologies for Energy, Transportation, and Digital Infrastructure: Analyzing causal and policy factors shaping U.S. WBG semiconductor competitiveness, focusing on scaling up essential technologies production to meet rapidly escalating demand in energy, transportation, and digital infrastructure.
• Governing the Future of Nuclear Fusion: Building supportive pipelines and frameworks to transition landmark breakthroughs and rapid innovation in fusion energy to commercial viability.
• Strategic Pathways for Next-Generation Nuclear Deployment: Exploring key barriers and opportunities around the development and deployment of next-gen nuclear energy, including small modular reactors and advanced reactors, to deliver safe, scalable, low-carbon energy.

The afternoon included a series of moderated panel discussions with participants from Acubed, DARPA, Natcast, National Academy of Engineering, and Princeton University. Topics included government perspectives and priorities, industry research & development perspectives and priorities, and the role of policy study in academia. Closing remarks were provided by Ajit Manocha, Chief Executive Officer of SEMI, the leading organization advancing the global semiconductor industry supply chain, who spoke on semiconductor industry challenges to strengthen U.S. competitiveness.

Overarching discussion themes throughout the day included complex, interrelated factors within the larger “ecosystem,” workforce development, models of innovation and tool integration, levers of industrial policy, and approaches to engagement with policymakers. The need for actionable recommendations was a key theme throughout.

“It was great to hear from experts addressing areas of importance to the nation and advancing the Center’s ambitious agenda of technology policy recommendations,” said Shankar Sastry, faculty director of the TCIP Center at UC Berkeley.

“We look forward to seeing the impact these studies have in ensuring U.S. competitiveness in advanced technologies, both now and in the future,” said Mark Liu, TCIP Center founder and former executive chairman, TSMC.