Yesterday, GlobalWafers and the U.S. government officially inked an agreement under which the U.S. government will provide $406 million funding to GlobalWafer. The funding will help GlobalWafers establish the production of 300mm wafers in the U.S. and expand production of 300mm silicon-on-insulator wafers. The move is designed to boost domestic production of microelectronics and localization of wafers production is a critical step towards achieving this goal.

GlobalWafers plans to invest $4 billion in its Missouri and Texas facilities. In Texas, the company will establish the first domestic high-volume 300mm silicon wafer facility to make wafers suitable for advanced process technologies that are used for leading-edge processors and memory. Additionally, a portion of this site will be converted to produce 150mm and 200mm silicon carbide (SiC) wafers, which are essential for high-voltage applications, such as electric vehicles and clean energy systems. The new facility will establish Texas as a critical hub for production of wafers for advanced microelectronics and for high-voltage applications.,

In Missouri, GlobalWafers will produce 300mm silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers. SOI wafers are widely used in the aerospace, defense industries, and for low-power chips. There is a thing to note though: for now, no U.S. chipmaker processes SOI wafers in high volumes.

The majority of silicon wafers for chip manufacturing are currently produced in Asia, posing a supply risk for fabrication facilities in Europe and the United States. GlobalWafers' U.S.-based investments, backed by government support, aim to diversify production and streamline logistics for American logic and memory chip manufacturers as they are expanding their production in the USA.

The initiative will create approximately 2,580 jobs across the two states, including 1,700 construction roles and 880 manufacturing positions, significantly boosting local economies.

"The semiconductor wafers that will be produced here in the U.S. because of this investment in GlobalWafers are the foundation of the advanced chips that will help us out-innovate and out-compete the rest of the world," said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. "As a result of this investment, CHIPS for America is working to strengthen our supply chains, protect our national and economic security, and create an estimated over 2,000 jobs across Texas and Missouri."

By: DocMemory
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