Semiconductor Industry Most Concerned with Tariffs, Trade Policy

A recent Middle Market Growth Conversations podcast features Bryan Wright, national manufacturing sector leader at Forvis Mazars, sharing insights from a new survey that shows strong optimism among manufacturing executives for growth in 2026 despite ongoing pressures like supplier cost increases and tariffs. Wright discusses how manufacturers are prioritizing strategies they can control, such as pricing, customer and product expansion, operational efficiency, and targeted technology investments like modern ERP systems. He also highlights the growing role of AI and automation, how talent challenges are being approached, and why resilient M&A activity, especially add-on deals, could strengthen in the year ahead.

S&P Global and the S&P Global Foundation commit $10 million over three years to launch StepForward, a program supporting nonprofit workforce development and skills training for youth in an AI-driven economy.

PowerAmerica — part of the Manufacturing USA network — has issued a new request for proposals to support research projects focused on wide-bandgap semiconductor materials (like silicon carbide and gallium nitride). This reflects growing investment in advanced manufacturing infrastructure and U.S. domestic semiconductor capacity.

GlobalFoundries and RPI have deepened their long-standing partnership to strengthen semiconductor research, education, and workforce development. The agreement includes new faculty positions, support for a Semiconductor Scholars Program, and expanded collaboration to help build up the pipeline of talent needed for advanced manufacturing.

NLM Photonics, a leader in silicon organic hybrid (SOH) electro-optic technology, announced today that its patented SOH photonic chips, featuring Selerion-HTX™ and JRD1, have successfully arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) as part of NASA’s Materials International Space Station Experiment (MISSE-21) mission aboard the JAXA’s HTV-XI spacecraft launched on October 29, 2025.

DoD ManTech and its associated Manufacturing Innovation Institutes (MIIs) held events across the country as part of “Manufacturing Month.” These events aimed to connect industry, educators, students, and workforce stakeholders — highlighting advanced manufacturing technology and potential career paths in defense manufacturing.