Silicon Valley is home to the world’s greatest technology companies, universities, advanced research laboratories and talent pool, all contained in a 50-mile radius. With its differentiated environment and leadership in innovation, the disruptive ideas and cutting-edge technologies coming out of the Valley have changed the world, fueled the global economy and greatly benefited society at large.
Today, most of the great ideas and innovations still originate in the Valley, but the majority of finished products are manufactured by outsourcing. For example, engineers in Silicon Valley invent and design chips for a vast array of devices, but those chips — billions each year — are mostly fabricated by global partners abroad. But what if the entire chip, not just its design, could be created right here in the United States? This reinvigoration of high-tech manufacturing would be a game changer for our economy.
Our economy is truly global, and to stay competitive, countries, and companies, must have a global strategy. What does the United States need to do to maintain its global leadership in the high-tech industry? I believe now is the time to capture the expertise inherent in America and develop the manufacturing infrastructure for the end-to-end creation of high-tech products in the U.S.
Silicon Valley has the know-how, track record and brain trust to lead the way. For example, UC Berkeley and other fine universities already graduate some of the world’s top semiconductor manufacturing experts, many of whom have gone on to create semiconductor foundries offshore. What’s more, the engineering programs at these schools have played a pioneering role in some of today’s most advanced manufacturing trends, such as robotics, rapid prototyping and computer-controlled machines.
But high-tech manufacturing does not hinge on higher education alone. It requires the creation of a highly skilled, highly technical workforce comprised of those who are not necessarily on a four-year college track.
Today, in America, there are still many underutilized sectors of the workforce. People from all walks of life are determined to pull themselves up and enrich their knowledge and expertise. The world-changing technologies coming out of Silicon Valley can now be used to train a new high-tech workforce. We envision the rise of a high-tech manufacturing ecosystem in the U.S. that is sustained by a pipeline of talented, technology savvy individuals who are leveraging the connected lifestyle to gain more knowledge via smart devices and the Internet.
It’s not just people who are improving themselves, it is nations. The barriers to entry in the global economy are lower than ever before. The world is flat — developing economies are rapidly catching up with industrial countries, thanks to the new digital era empowering global access to technology. The United States, like the rest of the world, cannot afford to rest on its legacy strengths in this new competitive landscape. Just like an exciting race car, we must accelerate quickly to be competitive.
I believe America will continue to lead the global economy. Silicon Valley is the most innovative place in the world. Let’s fully leverage our brain power and know-how to enable high-tech manufacturing capability, create more jobs in America and stimulate the economy. Together, we can build a robust manufacturing ecosystem in America. Silicon Valley can be the game changer for America’s leadership in the global economy.
Weili Dai is co-founder of Marvell Technology Group. She wrote this for this newspaper.
