The Memory Chip Competitiveness Assessment Act of 2026 requires the Secretary of Commerce to carry out a study of the marketplace for advanced memory technology. The study must look at demand, the industries and products that use advanced memory, and supply constraints. It must assess how market trends affect prices for consumers and small businesses, capital and investment needs, and technology transition issues. The study must analyze the supply chain, including suppliers not based in a “country of concern,” and identify legal, regulatory, or policy barriers to supply. It must also look for regulatory, legislative, or market solutions to increase supply without obtaining more from a country of concern. The Secretary must consult relevant federal agencies and non-government stakeholders (manufacturers of memory, equipment and materials, and customers such as internet service providers, consumer electronics makers, and motor vehicle makers). The report must be delivered to the specified congressional committees and published online within 270 days after enactment, and the public must have an opportunity to comment before submission. The bill defines "advanced memory technology" by listing types of memory (for example, DRAM at leading-edge nodes, high-bandwidth and 3-D-stacked memory, 3-D NAND over 200 layers, and memory used for AI, data centers, vehicle autonomy, and advanced communications) and defines other terms used in the bill.
If you make, use, or buy advanced memory chips, this bill would lead to a government study that could collect information from your industry and customers. The Department of Commerce would invite input from manufacturers, equipment suppliers, and customers, and it would publish a report that Congress and the public can read. The study itself does not change rules or provide funding; it produces information that lawmakers or agencies could later use.
No publicly available information on costs, appropriations, or funding for conducting the study is included in the bill text provided.
The bill directs a focused assessment of the advanced memory marketplace, supply chain, and barriers, and seeks possible policy or market solutions to increase supply without greater reliance on a country of concern. Proponents therefore aim to produce a report that summarizes demand, supply issues, investment needs, and options for improving supply resilience while consulting industry and other stakeholders.
No publicly available information on opponents' views or formal objections is included in the bill text or metadata provided.