November 21, 2025 Semiconductors and the Strength to Compete

Reinvesting in U.S. manufacturing means scaling innovation, strengthening talent and building resilience where it matters most.

By Mark Dougherty, President, Tokyo Electron America

U.S. manufacturing is regaining momentum. Rising global demand, shifting supply chains and the race for technological leadership are driving a resurgence. But sustaining it will require more than output. It demands investment into innovation, talent and the systems that make both scalable.

Semiconductors, commonly referred to as ‘chips,’ sit at the center of this transformation. Their success is inseparable from the broader health of American manufacturing. In the last few years, over $540 billion in private-sector investments have been committed to revitalizing the U.S. chip ecosystem, setting in motion a projected tripling of domestic chipmaking capacity by 2032. These projects are expected to create and support more than 500,000 American jobs, including 68,000 facility jobs, 122,000 construction jobs, and over 320,000 additional roles across the broader economy, according to the 2025 State of the U.S. Semiconductor Industry report.

After nearly three decades in this field, I’ve seen how targeted investment can unlock innovation, strengthen communities and shape long-term competitiveness. The goal isn’t just growth. It’s growth with purpose.

Innovation with Intent

Manufacturing is evolving fast. Global competition is intensifying, customer expectations are rising, and process technologies are advancing at breakneck speed. To stay ahead, manufacturers must modernize operations, upgrade capabilities, and lead the pace of change.

Semiconductors offer a clear example. In 2024, U.S. chip exports reached $57 billion, ranking sixth among all American exports and growing 13 percent year over year. The industry commands half of global chip sales and is projected to grow by double digits again in 2025. Recent capital investments are expanding fabs, accelerating research and development, and reinforcing supply chain resilience.

Across the sector, companies are reengineering how they build, train, and operate. This is the essence of Manufacturing 4.0, where process integration, design foresight, and long-term technology planning come together. It’s about creating smarter systems that use automation and real-time data to improve how factories run. These advances help manufacturers respond faster, reduce waste, and improve product quality.

And of course, AI is accelerating this transformation. It’s reshaping industries from healthcare to transportation, and every AI system relies on a complex stack of chips to function. These chips provide the computing power needed to train and run advanced models, making semiconductors essential to scaling AI. Strengthening our chipmaking capabilities isn’t just about keeping up with demand. It’s also about unlocking the next wave of AI innovation and ensuring America leads in the technologies shaping the future.

Innovation today is measured not just by speed or scale, but by adaptability and long-term impact. That means investing in advanced tools, immersive training and sustainable design, and doing so with clear goals and ethical intent.

Talent as a Catalyst

Technology doesn’t scale without talent. Engineers, technicians, and operators turn ideas into reality. But the talent pipeline is under pressure. The U.S. semiconductor industry directly employs 345,000 people, with nearly 2 million more supported indirectly. Yet by 2030, we face a shortfall of 67,000 engineers in this sector alone.

This is not a future problem. It is a present-day imperative. Regional hubs across the U.S. are stepping up, but they need support. When manufacturers invest in training programs, infrastructure and research partnerships, they are not just advancing technology; they are strengthening the economic fabric of the communities they call home.

Across the industry, companies are expanding apprenticeships, partnering with universities and aligning curricula with real-world needs. Offering internships early on allows students to rotate through different technical roles and gain exposure to all parts of the business, from cleanroom operations to automation and data-driven process control. These experiences spark interest, build confidence, and often lead to full-time opportunities.

Investing in veteran workforce programs is another vital strategy to expand the high-tech talent pipeline essential for sustaining U.S. technology and manufacturing leadership. Veterans bring a unique combination of discipline, technical aptitude, and leadership experience that accelerates their transition into semiconductor roles, strengthening both our workforce and national competitiveness.

The goal is not just to fill jobs, but to build careers in a field that is more than manufacturing. This is a cutting-edge, high-tech industry where innovation happens daily and where talent drives transformation. Every investment in technology must be matched by an investment in people.

Collaboration for Resilience

Resilience in manufacturing goes beyond geography. It is about building systems that can adapt, recover and lead through disruption. In semiconductors, that means securing access to advanced tools, diversifying supply chains and investing in the talent that keeps fabs running. Global partners like Japan, home to some of the world’s most sophisticated equipment makers, play a critical role in this effort, reinforcing the importance of cross-border collaboration in building resilient infrastructure.

Meeting these challenges requires collaboration. Public-private partnerships help scale innovation, accelerate workforce development and align long-term investment with national priorities. Stronger coordination across industry, academia and government is essential to navigate regulatory shifts, supply constraints and evolving customer needs.

We must help shape policy that supports innovation and capital investment. We must work with educators to build curricula around cleanroom protocols, automation and data-driven process control. And we must collaborate across the sector to solve technical challenges, standardize best practices and strengthen the ecosystem as a whole.

Building What Matters

The future of manufacturing will not be defined by what we have already built. It will be shaped by what we choose to build next and why. From fabrication floors to training labs, there is a quiet momentum taking hold. This moment is not just about meeting demand; it is about leading with intention.

As leaders, we must look past the next quarter. We must ask who benefits from the technologies we scale, how we build resilience into our supply chains, and what kind of future we are enabling. The answers will not come from any one company. They will come from shared investment in innovation, talent, and trust.

If we get this right, U.S. manufacturing will not just compete. It will lead, create, and deliver impact that lasts. That means helping to shape classrooms and training centers, building pathways into high-tech careers, and making sure every investment reflects the future we want to shape. It means listening to the next generation of builders, operators, and engineers and giving them a reason to stay, grow, and lead. The opportunity is here. Let’s build what matters, together.

About the Author:
Mark Dougherty serves as President and General Manager of Tokyo Electron America, Inc., and TEL Manufacturing and Engineering of America, Inc.— members of the Tokyo Electron Limited group of companies. In these roles he is responsible for all of TEL’s U.S. customer sales and service support, as well as all U.S.-based semiconductor process equipment development and manufacturing.

Prior to joining TEL in April 2020, he was Vice President of Module Engineering and Manufacturing Operations at GlobalFoundries Fab 8, where he led a tenfold increase in manufacturing capacity, ramping production volume and yield to world-class levels.

Dougherty also spent over 20 years in IBM’s semiconductor unit, working as a process and integration engineer before assuming progressively larger management responsibilities in module engineering, process control, manufacturing operations, and unit process development.

He holds a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering from Clarkson University, where he was formerly a member of the Industry Advisory Board for the Center for Advanced Materials Processing and currently serves as the chair of the Dean’s Leadership Council for the Wallace H Coulter School of Engineering. Mark and his wife Amy reside in Minneapolis and have four children.

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