Yesterday, Global Wafer and the U.S. Government Officially signed Under the agreement, the U.S. government will provide $406 million in funding to GlobalWafer. The funding will help GlobalWafers establish 300mm wafer production in the United States and expand production of 300mm silicon-on-insulator wafers. The move aims to promote domestic microelectronics production, and localization of wafer production is a key step to achieve this goal.
GlobalWfers plans to invest $4 billion to build its factories in Missouri and Texas. The company will build the country’s first high-volume 300mm silicon wafer factory in Texas to produce wafers with advanced process technologies for cutting-edge processors and memory. Additionally, part of the facility will be converted to produce 150mm and 200mm silicon carbide (SiC) wafers, which are critical for high-voltage applications such as electric vehicles and clean energy systems. The new facility will make Texas a key center for wafer production for advanced microelectronics and high-voltage applications.
GlobalWafers will produce 300mm silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers in Missouri. SOI wafers are widely used in aerospace, defense industries and low-power chips. But there’s one thing to note: No U.S. chip manufacturer is currently processing SOI wafers in large quantities.
Currently, most silicon wafers used in wafer manufacturing are produced in Asia, posing a supply risk to manufacturing facilities in Europe and the United States. Global Wafer’s investment in the U.S., which is backed by the government, is aimed at diversifying production and streamlining logistics for U.S. logic and storage chip makers as they expand production in the United States.
This measure will create approximately 2,580 jobs in the two states, including 1,700 construction jobs and 880 manufacturing jobs, significantly boosting local economic development.
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said: “Thanks to the investment in GlobalWafers, semiconductor wafers, the foundation of advanced chips, will be produced in the United States, which will help us innovate and compete beyond the rest of the world. “Through this investment, CHIPS for America is working to strengthen our supply chains and protect our country and economy Safetyand create an estimated more than 2,000 jobs in Texas and Missouri.