Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue Chairman Keith Krach Delivers Keynote at SEMICON West

Former Under Secretary of State and Silicon Valley Leader
Inspires Semiconductor Industry to Advance Freedom by Embedding Trust in Chips

Phoenix, AZ  –  In a keynote address at SEMICON West 2025, the premier microelectronics exhibition in North America, Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue Chairman Keith Krach called on semiconductor leaders to unite behind a shared mission: anchoring the technologies of the future in trust, calling it “the ultimate competitive advantage.”

Speaking before industry executives, engineers, and policymakers, Krach celebrated “America’s Chip Manufacturing Revival”—a dramatic turnaround that has seen the industry surge from zero planned fabs in 2020 to over $600 billion in new investments.

“It’s not just about innovation. It’s about freedom,” said Keith Krach. “Because every chip you design and every system you create carries something far greater than code—it carries the power to defend free thought, to expand opportunity, and to keep the human spirit free. …Freedom, like a chip, must be engineered, protected, and renewed—because every innovation built on trust is, in the end, a victory for freedom itself.”

As former U.S. Under Secretary of State, Krach brokered the $12 billion onshoring of TSMC to the United States, triggering a chain reaction that has led to over 130 new projects, across 28 states, and created more than 500,000 American jobs. His broader contributions to advancing innovation and global competitiveness earned Krach the manufacturing industry’s highest honor—the 2025 M. Eugene Merchant Manufacturing Medal—for his $4.5 trillion impact on global productivity spanning robotics, automation, e-commerce, digital trust, and semiconductors.

During his remarks, Krach urged the semiconductor leaders to address the increasingly fractured global semiconductor supply chain by adopting the Krach Institute’s Global Trusted Tech (xGTT) Standard. A practical benchmark that evaluates the trustworthiness of critical and emerging technologies, the xGTT Standard aims to reduce friction, accelerate innovation and enable seamless collaboration among like-minded, trusted partners worldwide.

Echoing SEMICON West’s theme, “Stronger Together: Shaping a Sustainable Future in Talent, Technology, and Trade,” Krach asserted: “Talent gives us the hands. Technology gives us the tools. Trade gives us the reach. But trust gives us the strength to hold it all together. Without trust, talent leaves. Without trust, technology divides. Without trust, trade collapses.”

“Information security is one of the most important issues facing the semiconductor industry. SEMI was honored to have Keith Krach, co-founder of the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue, share his vision for managing this key global issue at SEMICON West,” said Joe Stockunas, President SEMI Americas. “SEMI is very proud to partner with the Krach Institute and fully supports the institute’s work to ensure information flows freely and securely around the globe.”

About the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue

The Krach Institute is the world’s preeminent trusted technology accelerator. As the leader in the new category of Tech Diplomacy, the Institute integrates technology expertise, Silicon Valley strategies and foreign policy tools to build the Global Trusted Tech Network of governments, companies, organizations and individuals to accelerate the innovation and adoption of trusted technology and ensure technology advances freedom.

Visit the Krach Institute online at TechDiplomacy.org and follow on X, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube. Enroll in the Tech Diplomacy Academy to learn what you need to know now about key emerging technologies and their impact on business, policy and the global economy. Subscribe to the Institute’s weekly newsletter Tech Diplomacy Now for the latest news at the intersection of high tech and foreign policy.

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