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 WTO Symposium: 25 Years of the ITAPeter Proebster
Chair, Customs and Tariffs Task Force
World Semiconductor Council
16 September 2021  
RD/IT/5117 September 2021 2❑Introduction: The World Semiconductor Council (WSC)
❑Overall Benefits of Trade Liberalization under the ITA
❑The Enabling Role of Semiconductors
❑ITA 3: Opportunity to Promote ICT Trade to Help Address Global 
Challenges:
➢Energy Efficiency
➢Global Health
➢Secure Connectivity 
❑Summary and WSC Recommendations
Contents
WTO Symposium: 25 Years of the ITA17 September 20213Main Objective: Expand international cooperation in order to facilitate a healthy 
growth of the semiconductor industry from a long -term, global perspective
USEurope China
Chinese
TaipeiKorea
World Semiconductor Council
➢Consistent with WTO rules
➢Regular dialogue with 
Government/Authorities (GAMS)*  
from the WSC  regions 
➢Members cover over 95% of worldwide 
semiconductor production
➢Global semiconductor market: $ 440 
billion USD in 2020
The WSC is committed to facilitating the growth 
of the semiconductor market  by eliminating 
tariffs and non-tariff barriers.Japan
* Government/ Authorities Meeting on Semiconductors  
3WTO Symposium: 25 Years of the ITA17 September 2021 4❑The ITAand ITAExpansion have eliminated tariffs onover $1.7trillion
USD incurrent value ofICT goods .The agreements are signed by
countries covering 97%ofworld trade inICTproducts .
➢Bolstered theglobal availability ofinnovative goods such assmartphones
and energy efficient cars
➢Contributed tobridge the digital divide thanks tolower prices forITC
goods worldwide
➢Increased thecertainty ofthetrading environment forITAparticipants
➢Created predictability forglobally operating businesses
➢Enabled global value chains which are essential forthe semiconductor
industry, asector with global operations and investments
➔Removing tariffs oninnovative ICT products can help make these
products more affordable and unlock the long -term economic
growth and social benefits that may bederived from these new
products .
WTO Symposium: 25 Years of the ITA17 September 2021 5❑Semiconductors enable allelectronics .
❑Given the pervasiveness ofelectronics intoday's society, semiconductors areamultiplier for
growth ,innovation and productivity throughout the economy :itisestimated that the
semiconductor industry helps create $7trillion USD inglobal economic activity and isdirectly
responsible for$2.7trillion USD intotal annual global GDP *.
*Source: Oxford Economics
**Source: ITIF, 2020
➢It’smainly theevolution ofsemiconductors
that explains theever -increasing capability
and ever -decreasing relative price of
digital products **
➢The increasing miniaturization of
semiconductors, together with enhanced
processing capacity, speed and power
efficiency, isessential toallnew electronic
products **
WTO Symposium: 25 Years of the ITASemiconductors :smart solutions for
❑ Electrification
❑ Emission reduction
❑ Autonomous driving
❑ Connectivity
…Foragreener and safer mobility,
and more energy -efficient cars
toadapt toclimate change challenges
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The main inverter 
drives the electric 
motor and it is used 
for regenerative 
braking and feeding 
energy back to the 
battery.Battery management system 
the energy for the electric powertrain 
comes from battery systems that need 
to be monitored to ensure occupant 
safety.
On-board charger
The battery block is
charged via anAC-DC
converter module .
Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) employ leading -edge
semiconductors ,forsafety and autonomous driving .
Safe central computing iskey.Also, semiconductors facilitate theprocessing of
data gathered bysensors and cameras toperceive theenvironment around the
carmore accurately, detecting nearby obstacles ordriver’s errors, enabling
better and safer decisions and actions .
Semiconductors power 
charging stations for EV 
and support vehicle -to 
grid secure data 
communication via 
leading edge processors.
WTO Symposium: 25 Years of the ITA 17 September 20217
❑Semiconductor components areubiquitous inmedical devices .They range from standard
components tospecialized Integrated Circuits with ahigh level ofcustomization .
❑They play acrucial role in,e.g.
➢Wearable health -monitoring devices
➢Medical devices used inthefight against COVID -19:
➢Medical imaging forimproved diagnostics, enabled bysemiconductor technology such asimage
sensors, power semiconductor devices, microcontrollers, microprocessors and color processing
accelerators
❑Semiconductors will continue tosupport further developments, from more“intelligence”
and data storage, towireless/connected solutions for24/7monitoring .
oPower semiconductors are essential toreliably
and efficiently control life-saving ventilators
oEnable remote interactions between patients and
doctors, fordiagnostics and treatment
oPortable ultrasound devices, which represent a
first line ofdefense inconfronting COVID -19
WTO Symposium: 25 Years of the ITA 17 September 202117 September 2021 8
Powering Secure Connectivity
Semiconductors enable connectivity inmyriad applications, and byadvanced crypto -
technology provide trust and security delivering state -of-the-artprotection toelectronic
devices and data, against physical and network attacks .
and smart metering
WTO Symposium: 25 Years of the ITASummary & Outlook
9 17 September 2021❑Removing tariffs onsemiconductors and awide range ofICTgoods, theITA
has helped increase the availability ofinnovative products such as
smartphones and energy efficient cars and hasledtothewider useofnew
technologies worldwide .
❑The ITApath should continue, keep upwith technological developments,
and cover new technologies including advanced semiconductors .An
additional ITAcovering these product will also continue help bridging the
digital divide .
❑Further, inthis way the ITAcan continue tosupport addressing global
societal challenges, assemiconductors enable products and technologies
which help reduce greenhouse gasemission ;combat pandemics ;power
advanced medical devices and remote healthcare ;and provide thesecure
connectivity that make remote working and interacting possible, aswell
asInternet ofThings and smart homes and cities .
WTO Symposium: 25 Years of the ITAWSC Recommendations to Governments
10 17 September 2021❑Fast technological innovation has continued inthe semiconductor industry
after thesigning ofthe2015 ITA-Expansion Agreement .
❑As aresult, there are currently semiconductor industry products,
manufacturing equipment, and materials, and downstream products
incorporating semiconductor technology which falloutside thescope ofthe
ITAand itsexpansion .
❑Given the unique role which semiconductors and semiconductor -enabled
technologies play inadvancing solutions toglobal challenges, theWSC calls
onGovernment/Authorities toconsider whether itistimely tosupport
launching anew round ofnegotiations tofurther expand theITAtoinclude
semiconductor -related products notpreviously covered .
Source :25thJoint Statement recommendations toGovernment/Authorities (Government/Authorities Meeting on
Semiconductors orGAMS), June 2nd2021 .http://www .semiconductorcouncil .org/public -documents/joint -statements
WTO Symposium: 25 Years of the ITAThank you for your attention
www.semiconductorcouncil.org
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