H.R. 10170: Memory Chip Competitiveness Assessment Act of 2026

This bill would require the Secretary of Commerce to study the U.S. market for advanced memory chips and memory technologies. The goal is to better understand supply, demand, and supply-chain issues in this part of the semiconductor industry.

What the study would cover

• Market conditions: how much demand there is for advanced memory technology, what industries and products use it, and what supply limits exist.
• Effects on costs: how changes in the market may affect the price of finished goods for consumers and small businesses in the United States.
• Investment and production issues: the capital required to make these chips, how investment cycles work, and challenges involved in moving to newer generations of technology.
• Supply chain analysis: where advanced memory technology comes from, including suppliers that are not based in a “country of concern.”
• Barriers to supply: any legal, regulatory, or policy obstacles that may be limiting production or availability.
• Possible solutions: any regulatory, legislative, or market-based steps that could increase supply without relying more on a country of concern.

Who the Commerce Department must consult

In preparing the study, the Secretary of Commerce would be required to consult with relevant federal agencies and with outside stakeholders, including:

• manufacturers of advanced memory technology;
• manufacturers of semiconductor equipment and materials used for advanced memory technology;
• customers of advanced memory technology, such as internet service providers, consumer electronics makers, and motor vehicle manufacturers.

Reporting requirements

Within 270 days after enactment, the Secretary would have to submit a report to the relevant congressional committees and also publish the report on the Department of Commerce website. Before the report is submitted, the public would have an opportunity to comment on it.

What counts as “advanced memory technology”

The bill defines this term broadly to include leading-edge semiconductor memory products used in high-performance, high-bandwidth, or energy-efficient computing. Examples include certain DRAM, high-bandwidth memory, 3D-stacked memory, high-layer-count 3D NAND, and other commercially significant memory technologies used in artificial intelligence, data centers, autonomous vehicles, and advanced communications.

Relevant Companies

• SKX — This appears to be a mismatch if interpreted as a stock ticker; no clearly relevant publicly traded company is directly named by the bill text.
• None found