NEC Corp has thrown the US backers of the Sematech semiconductor process technology research consortium into confusion by declaring that it would like to joint Sematech and bring some of its process technology to the party. According to the New York Times, the response has been swift and largely negative, with the Austin, Texas body’s new chief, Robert Noyce, declaring that Sematech is for the benefit of the American taxpayer and American industry. But critics of this stance point out that Sematech is primarily intended to push forward process technology, in which Japan leads the US, rather than design, and that with the likes of IBM and Texas Instruments making their latest chips in Japan with plants staffed entirely by locals, and most of the Japanese doing the equivalent in the US, it is now well-nigh impossible to keep new technologies within national borders or companies.
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