The U.S. Department of Commerce recently teamed up with the International Trade Administration (ITA) to update the ITA’s Semiconductor Alert Mechanism, allowing officials to better identify interruptions within the U.S. supply chain.

Information submitted to the system on new or ongoing supply chain disruptions can be used to better coordinate government resources, reducing backlogs and delays while aligning with the Biden administration’s plan to solidify the U.S.’s semiconductor manufacturing sector.

Submissions are reviewed on a rolling basis and kept confidential under federal law, according to Nextgov/FWC.

Alerts from the system apply to both the public and the private sector. New, ongoing and future disruptions can all be submitted to the Commerce Department and the ITA.

“Supply chains are crucial to businesses and consumers alike," said Heather Evans, the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Manufacturing, in a statement. "The Semiconductor Alert Mechanism provides a platform to hear directly from industry stakeholders when they are experiencing disruptions. We encourage companies to use this tool to share critical information in order to strengthen and secure our nation's supply chains.”

Strengthening the U.S. semiconductor manufacturing sector has been a major goal of the Biden-Harris administration. After the CHIPS and Science Act was passed in 2022, $500 million of federal funding was allocated toward providing information on semiconductor supply chain activities and communications security.