President Biden Authorizes DoD to Pursue Printed Circuit Board Fabrication in the U.S.

U.S. President Joe Biden signed a presidential determination (PD) authorizing the use of Defense Production Act to support the nation’s domestic Printed Circuit Boards (PrCB) and Advanced Packaging industrial base.

The PD allows the Department of Defense (DoD) to invest in advanced microelectronics capacity and ensure the production of integrated circuits in the United States.

PrCBs are critical components in all electronics used in the national defense, economic, environmental, energy, and healthcare management sectors. Advanced packaging allows multiple devices to be packaged and mounted on a single electronic device. Advances in materials, manufacturing tooling, and process development are imperative in advanced packaging to support rapidly evolving technology and the continuously shrinking feature sizes.

The move will limit and later eliminate PrCB procurement from China and other nations that have been constant suppliers of PrCBs to the U.S. defense contractors.

The PD allows the DoD’s Office of Defense Production Act Investments (DPAI), which is part of the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition & Sustainment (A&S), to leverage DPA Title III incentives, including purchases and purchase commitments, to support the PrCB and Advanced Packaging industrial base.