Common Questions

What is the ITIF think tank and who funds it?: ITIF is a Washington DC tech policy think tank founded in 2006, funded by tech companies, foundations, and government grants; it advocates for pro-innovation, lighter-touch regulation.Source: Background
Does ITIF support or oppose EU tech regulation?: ITIF consistently argues for lighter-touch regulation; it critiques EU semiconductor investment timelines and state-aid constraints, though its market-led prescriptions differ from Europe's statist approach.Source: Background
Why is ITIF cited in European chip policy debates?: ITIF produces rigorous comparative analyses of US, EU, and Asian innovation policy; its external critiques of EU failures are cited by European reformers even when they reject ITIF's prescriptions.Source: Background
Is ITIF a bipartisan organisation?: ITIF describes itself as non-partisan but consistently argues for free-trade and deregulatory positions; its president Robert Atkinson is a frequent commentator on semiconductor supply chains.Source: Background

Background

The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) is a Washington DC-based technology policy think tank founded in 2006. It advocates for pro-innovation regulatory frameworks across broadband, AI, trade, and science policy. ITIF was cited in coverage of the EU's decision to block the Intel Magdeburg megafab, where its analysis of the economic and strategic consequences of semiconductor policy failures informed the European debate .

ITIF describes itself as non-partisan but consistently argues for lighter-touch technology regulation and free-trade positions. It is funded by a mix of technology companies, foundations, and government grants. Its president Robert Atkinson is a frequent commentator on industrial policy, semiconductor supply chains, and US-China technology competition. ITIF publishes detailed comparative analyses of innovation policy across the US, EU, and Asia.

For European tech sovereignty discussions, ITIF occupies an interesting position as an American institution that nonetheless produces rigorous analysis of European policy failures. Its critiques of EU semiconductor investment timelines and state-aid constraints have been cited by European policy reformers, even when ITIF's prescriptions (market-led, limited state intervention) diverge from the European statist approach. It functions as a useful external benchmark in EU debates about whether dirigiste industrial policy actually delivers results.