SIA’s efforts succeed in increasing federal funding for key research budgets and programs including a $9 million appropriation for the Defense Department’s share of the SIA’s university focus center research program, passage of legislation authorizing the doubling of the National Science Foundation (NSF) budget over the next five years, and the Senate and House Appropriations Committee approval of increases for NSF research of 12 and 15 percent – well above the 3 percent increase originally proposed by the Administration.


SIA helps secure Congressional passage of a $25 million technology talent expansion program that SIA had strongly advocated.


increase the number of students completing undergraduate degrees in science, math, engineering or technology.


SIA hosts the 9th ISESH Conference in San Diego, California, a key part of the World Semiconductor Council effort to promote cooperation and sharing of pre-competitive information amongst the world’s semiconductor manufacturers.


The SIA publishes its 25th anniversary commemorative book, Beyond Imagination, a chronicle of the industry since its inception with rare personal vignettes, photos and perspectives from some of its greatest legends.


2003 SIA urges senior Chinese Government officials, the U.S. Embassy in China, the US Congress and Cabinet level officials in Washington to address violations of China’s WTO commitments. The SIA challenges China to end its discriminatory application of its Value Added Tax (VAT) and recommends that the rate be lowered to 3% for all chips regardless of origin. The SIA actively pursues the creation of a fast track mechanism and a foundry code of conduct that would allow U.S. semiconductor makers, whose intellectual property is stolen to secure quick action in rectifying the issue, leveraging the help of both the U.S. and Chinese governments.


The SIA continues to work to prevent the passage of either legislation or standards that could hinder the ability of our companies to grant employee stock options. As part of this effort, the SIA works closely with the co-sponsors of legislation in Congress that would call for standard setters to assess how Sarbanes Oxley and other rule changes adopted over the past year are working before hurrying to enact yet more new regulations. Specifically, the bill would call for a three-year period to assess the impact of new rules before adopting anything new.


SIA and its partners in the High Tech Broadband Coalition win a major victory in February when the Federal Communications Committee decided to deregulate investment in last mile broadband facilities.


SIA successfully lobbies for Congressional approval of an 11.4 percent increase in the research budget of the National Science Foundation.


SIA is publicly acknowledged by US EPA Administrator Christy Todd Whitman for its efforts to reduce emissions of global warming gasses through technological innovation during the one-year anniversary celebration of President Bush’s Climate Change Strategy.


SIA Board of Directors meet with senior Administration officials and Members of Congress, as well as Alan Greenspan and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve. The meetings focused on SIA’s chief policy goals, including bringing China into compliance with its WTO commitments, opposing the expensing of stock options and securing additional funding for university research initiatives.


The World Semiconductor Council (WSC)


recommendations on a broad range of policy objectives of importance to the global semiconductor industry including a call


for China to open its market fully to all


holds its seventh annual meeting and issues strong foreign semiconductor products, a


condemnation of chip counterfeiting, and a recommendation that copyright levies not be applied to digital products.


This legislation authorizes NSF to support colleges and universities that


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