IBM CEO Arvind Krishna joined the White House and bipartisan members of Congress in endorsing the Endless Frontier Act, which would direct $100 billion in spending to the National Science Foundation as the U.S. looks to get ahead in competition against China.
"Just like the United States chose to invest in science in the post-WWII era, the Endless Frontier Act offers a once-in-a-generation opportunity to refocus our institutions on innovation," Krishna said in a statement released Thursday.
The bill, which already has the support of several industry groups, would create a new Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation within NSF and reserve $10 billion for the Department of Commerce to distribute to regional tech hubs. It would also focus work on emerging tech including AI, advanced manufacturing and robotics.
To address the chip shortage, Krishna also called for fully funding the National Semiconductor Technology Center that Congress authorized last year, and suggested placing it in Albany, New York, where IBM has a research center.