GlobalWafers Co. has announced the official opening of its advanced semiconductor wafer facility in Sherman, Texas, along with an added commitment for billions in further investment.
Flagship Facility Details
In 2022, Taiwan’s GlobalWafers Co. announced plans to establish GlobalWafers America — a project that would expand the chipmaker’s reach.
The company said it would build a flagship facility in Sherman, Texas, with the help of the CHIPS Act. According to GlobalWafers, the new facility is its most advanced and fully integrated. Overall, the project has reportedly created 180 permanent jobs to date, projected to reach 650 by the end of 2028.
Filling a Supply Chain Vulnerability
The CHIPS program will participate in bolstering the domestic semiconductor industry, in part, by investing more than $400 million in GlobalWafers’ new U.S. operations.
At a recent event celebrating the new plant, GWC president Mark England highlighted the plant’s goal to “fill a key vulnerability in the U.S. supply chain and help build a more complete and self-sufficient local semiconductor ecosystem — one that is more resilient and future-ready.”
To that end, GWA says it is the sole advanced silicon wafer manufacturing facility participating in the CHIPS program that is fully integrated and will be “the first production line of its kind built in the United States in over 20 years.”
Further Expansion Announcement
In a surprise announcement during the recent grand opening, GWA chairperson Doris Hsu announced that the company’s U.S. investment strategy was not yet complete.
“On the three-year anniversary of our decision to build GWA,” said Hsu, “I am pleased to announce GlobalWafers’ intention to expand our current U.S. investment by another $4 billion to reach $7.5 billion.”
To achieve this, GlobalWafers said it expects to add phases 3 and 4 to its existing commitment in Texas.
Image credit: GlobalWafers Co.
