newsbytes@clarinet.com (01/18/90)
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1990 JAN 15 (NB) -- The American Electronics Association (AEA) has expressed its alarm over the abolishment of U.S. Memories, the electronics industry's attempt to augment U.S. production of dynamic random access memories (DRAM). According to AEA's president and chief executive officer, J. Richard Iverson, since advanced DRAM production in the U.S. was less than 10 percent of the amount used by U.S.-based computer manufacturers, the industry saw U.S. Memories as a way to greatly expand domestic production and sincerely thanks those industry members who joined the cause. Iverson went on to state that, "although DRAM availability and pricing is not currently a problem, our almost total dependence for this vital building block of both commercial and military electronics rests with foreign sources. I feel certain that U.S. DRAM re-entry efforts will not end here. And, as it has in the past, AEA will continue to work with both industry and government on this still critical problem." AEA, the voice of the U.S. electronics industry for some 50 years, represents nearly 3,500 firms in high-technology sites nationwide. U.S. Memories was a consortium of major U.S. computer companies which was intended to do battle with foreign computer chip makers that now dominate the market created by American companies. (Beth Goldie and John McCormick/1990116/Press Contact: John Hatch, AEA, 202-682-4430)