View Information Collection Request (ICR) Package

OMB Control No: 0693-0092	ICR Reference No: 202302-0693-001
Status: Historical Active	Previous ICR Reference No:
Agency/Subagency: DOC/NIST	Agency Tracking No: ER
Title: “Ask CHIPS” Information Collection
Type of Information Collection: New collection (Request for a new OMB Control Number)	Common Form ICR: No
Type of Review Request: Emergency	Approval Requested By: 02/14/2023
OIRA Conclusion Action: Approved with change	Conclusion Date: 02/26/2023
	Date Received in OIRA: 02/08/2023
Terms of Clearance: This collection is approved for 6 months based on the revised materials provided by the Department. If this collection will be used for more than 6 months, a 60 and 30 day notice needs to be published.

	Inventory as of this Action	Requested	Previously Approved
Expiration Date	08/31/2023	6 Months From Approved
Responses	250	0	0
Time Burden (Hours)	21	0	0
Cost Burden (Dollars)	0	0	0

Abstract: The Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors for America Incentives Program (hereafter, “The CHIPS Incentives Program” or “CHIPS”) aims to catalyze long-term growth in the domestic semiconductor industry in support of U.S. economic resilience and national security. The CHIPS Incentives Program can provide direct funding (via grants, cooperative agreements, or other transactions), loans, and loan guarantees (collectively, “CHIPS Incentives”) for eligible projects. CHIPS Incentives will support investments in the construction expansion, and modernization of commercial facilities in the United States for the front- and back-end fabrication of leading-edge, current-generation, and mature-node semiconductors. The amounts available under the CHIPS Act are as follows: • for CHIPS Direct Funding, up to $38,217,700,000; and • for CHIPS Loans and CHIPS Loan Guarantees, up to $75,000,000,000 in direct loan or guaranteed principal CHIPS intends to establish a customer relationship management solution (CRM) to support program initiatives. CHIPS expects to engage with a wide range of customers across a variety of business needs, and requires a CRM solution to track, manage, and report on these customer interactions. As part of this CRM solution, CHIPS will simplify customer requests to meet with the CHIPS team by implementing a public-facing engagement request form at https://askchips.chips.gov/

Emergency Justfication: The Administration and Congress have identified the low U.S. production of semiconductor chips as a national security risk that must be addressed as quickly as possible. See FACT SHEET: CHIPS and Science Act Will Lower Costs, Create Jobs, Strengthen Supply Chains, and Counter China (Aug. 9, 2022), avail. at https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/08/09/fact-sheet-chips-and-science-act-will-lower-costs-create-jobs-strengthen-supply-chains-and-counter-china/ (Semiconductor chip technology “forms the foundation of everything from automobiles to household appliances to defense systems. America invented the semiconductor, but today produces about 10 percent of the world’s supply—and none of the most advanced chips. Instead, we rely on East Asia for 75 percent of global production. The CHIPS and Science Act will unlock hundreds of billions more in private sector semiconductor investment across the country, including production essential to national defense and critical sectors.”) In order to help address the risk posed by this low U.S. production, Congress passed the CHIPS Act of 2022 (Division A of P.L. 117-167) (the Act). The Act tasks the Secretary of Commerce with carrying out sections 9904 and 9906 of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (15 U.S.C. 4652, 4654, and 4656) by establishing a semiconductor incentives program to support the domestic production of semiconductors. The program will provide financial assistance awards to incentivize investment in facilities and equipment in the United States for semiconductor fabrication, assembly, testing, advanced packaging, and research and development, thereby increasing U.S. economic and national security by supporting a sustainable, competitive domestic semiconductor industry. Because both Congress and the Administration has identified the current low U.S. production of semiconductor chips as a matter of national security and defense, the Secretary of Commerce is implementing this program on an expedited timeline to meet the identified U.S. economic and national security needs. Thus, emergency approval of the “Ask CHIPS” by [February 28, 2023] is essential to prevent public harm under 5 C.F.R. 1320.13(a)(2). Normal clearance would delay implementation of the program, thereby extending the national security and economic risk presented by the U.S. low semiconductor chip production.

Authorizing Statute(s): None

Citations for New Statutory Requirements: None

Associated Rulemaking Information
RIN:	Stage of Rulemaking:	Federal Register Citation:	Date:
	Not associated with rulemaking

Federal Register Notices & Comments
30-day Notice:	Federal Register Citation:	Citation Date:
	88 FR 8260	02/08/2023
Did the Agency receive public comments on this ICR? No

Number of Information Collection (IC) in this ICR: 1

IC Title	Form No.	Form Name
"Ask CHIPS" Information Collection

ICR Summary of Burden

	Total Approved	Change Due to Agency Discretion
Annual Number of Responses	250	250
Annual Time Burden (Hours)	21	21
Annual Cost Burden (Dollars)	0	0

Burden increases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion: Yes

Burden Increase Due to: Miscellaneous Actions

Burden decreases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion: No

Burden Reduction Due to:

Short Statement: This is a new information collection.

Annual Cost to Federal Government: $132,922

Does this IC contain surveys, censuses, or employ statistical methods? No

Does this ICR request any personally identifiable information (see OMB Circular No. A-130 for an explanation of this term)? Please consult with your agency's privacy program when making this determination. Yes

Does this ICR include a form that requires a Privacy Act Statement (see 5 U.S.C. §552a(e)(3))? Please consult with your agency's privacy program when making this determination. Yes

Is this ICR related to the Affordable Care Act [Pub. L. 111-148 & 111-152]? No

Is this ICR related to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, [Pub. L. 111-203]? No

Is this ICR related to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA)? No

Is this ICR related to the Pandemic Response? No

Agency Contact: Elizabeth Reinhart 301 975-8707 elizabeth.reinhart@nist.gov

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