Sematech Not Ideal Model, Study Suggests
Sematech, a government-funded consortium formed to enhance the U.S. semiconductor industry, has been successful so far but should not necessarily be used as a role model for other industries, according to a new government study.
The report, prepared by the Commerce Department and issued by the Pentagon, generally praises the work of the 2-year-old consortium, whose members are charged with the task of developing technologies needed to produce sophisticated semiconductors. The Bush Administration has recommended continuing Sematech’s $100-million annual government funding next year, an amount matched by the 14 member companies.
Focus on Conditions
The report notes, however, that the set of conditions working in favor of Sematech may not exist for other technologies. In recent months, a sort of “consortium fever” has spread through high-tech industries, with cooperative ventures being discussed for the development of high-definition television, opto-electronics and superconductivity, among others.
“Sematech has a lot of things going for it that might not be present in other cases,” said Jeffrey L. Mayer, the report’s author and deputy director of the Commerce Department’s Office of Economic Policy.
Among other things, Sematech benefits from participation by leading firms in the industry, including International Business Machines Corp., and enjoys wide support among experts who believe that semiconductor know-how is essential to U.S. economic and military strength. It not only has a set of research problems common to all its members, but the problems are far enough removed from commercialization that firms can cooperate in the laboratory while still competing in the marketplace, the report concludes.
The report also notes the tensions that can develop as Sematech’s members--most of them large firms with worldwide operations--forge ties with foreign competitors. Last December, for example, Texas Instruments Inc. caused a stir when it agreed to work with Hitachi Ltd. of Japan to develop a certain type of semiconductor.
