Washington, D.C. – The XR Association is pleased to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the passage of the CHIPS and Science Act. Enacted on August 9, 2022, the CHIPS and Science Act was a landmark piece of legislation aimed at boosting U.S. competitiveness. The measure has strengthened technology, innovation, and scientific progress across the United States by supporting the domestic production of semiconductors and providing for investment in the research and development of critical emerging technologies.
The passage of the CHIPS Act marked an important step forward for the XR industry. XRA worked closely with lawmakers in the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives to ensure that “immersive technology” was included in the legislation as a “key technology focus area,” enabling the XR industry to benefit from the research, funding, and programmatic opportunities in the legislation. Since the bill’s enactment, the XR Association has continued to advocate on behalf of the XR industry to ensure that immersive technology is represented as various government agencies implement their mandates under the CHIPS Act.
For example, in July 2023, XRA submitted public comments in response to National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Request for Information (RFI) on its roadmap for the new Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (TIP). TIP was established in the CHIPS and Science Act to “advance critical and emerging technologies, address pressing societal and economic challenges, and accelerate the translation of research results from lab to market and society.” XRA’s submission detailed how immersive technology can be used to address key societal, national, and geostrategic challenges and encouraged the NSF to prioritize XR for funding and research.
In addition to the research opportunities, the CHIPS Act also helped to bolster the XR supply chain. XRA’s member organizations rely on chips to create XR devices and drive breakthroughs in computing, graphics displays, and battery power. XRA applauds the government’s efforts to strengthen U.S. capacity for semiconductors which will support XR developers and help advance the industry overall.
