Chairman John Moolenaar and Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and Chinese Communist Party have addressed a letter to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo. They express concerns about China's growing silicon photonics industry, highlighting it as a new front in semiconductor competition and stressing the importance of bolstering domestic innovation.
Photonics technology uses light particles to transmit information, offering greater bandwidth and efficiency compared to traditional electronic semiconductors. According to Chinese Communist Party economists, this technology "could allow the country 'to change lanes and overtake' the United States" in semiconductor development. The industry is receiving significant investment from Chinese state-owned enterprises for dual-use military applications.
Moolenaar and Krishnamoorthi note that "some experts believe photonic chips can offer a 1,000-fold improvement in computational speed compared to existing electronic chip designs." They argue that silicon photonics could redefine technological competition with China, potentially nullifying previous export control rules set on October 7, 2022.
The letter suggests that "the U.S. government should examine the tools at its disposal—both preventing U.S. investment and know-how from supporting our adversaries and bolstering domestic innovation—to ensure continued American leadership in critical and emerging technologies like silicon photonics."
They also urge Commerce to investigate leading Chinese photonics companies, particularly those involved with equipment for China's second photonic chip production line. Furthermore, they propose amending the Commerce Control List (CCL) to explicitly include silicon photonics equipment and products.
Highlighting national security concerns, they reference Chen Wenling's statement identifying silicon photonics as an area where China might "overtake" U.S. advancements. State-owned companies such as Huawei are investing heavily in this technology; Huawei filed a patent for a “photonic chip” in 2021.
Moolenaar and Krishnamoorthi request Secretary Raimondo's assessment of the national security threat posed by China's silicon photonics industry, insights into the current U.S. landscape for this technology, and identification of resources needed by Commerce to effectively address these challenges.
