The U.S. Department of Commerce announced a preliminary agreement to grant up to $18 million in funding to vacuum pump and exhaust gas management systems manufacturer Edwards Vacuum through the CHIPS and Science Act.
New Facility Will Create 600 Jobs
Edwards Vacuum will use the new funding to build a manufacturing facility in New York’s Genesee County. The company initially announced the site in 2022 and expects it to create about 600 jobs.
Edwards Vacuum’s new factory would produce dry vacuum pumps, an essential piece in legacy and advanced semiconductor manufacturing.
"This strategic and targeted proposed investment in domestically manufactured dry vacuum pumps, which all semiconductor manufacturers need to operate fabs, is another example of how we are working to ensure every part of the semiconductor supply chain is being built right here in the United States,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo.
The First Dry Vacuum Pumps Producer in the U.S.
The location would establish the first U.S.-based production of semiconductor-grade dry vacuum pumps, which the Department of Commerce described as a “meaningful step” toward boosting U.S. national and economic security.
Edwards Vacuum plans to use the Treasury Department’s Investment Tax Credit, which is anticipated to cover up to 25% of eligible capital expenditures.
CHIPS and Science Act Funding to Date
President Joe Biden signed the CHIPS and Science Act into law in 2022, providing the Commerce Department with $50 billion to revitalize and strengthen U.S. semiconductor development, research, and manufacturing. To date, CHIPS has apportioned more than $35 billion in funding across 16 states, leading to the creation of an estimated 115,000 jobs.
