The Biden-Harris Administration has announced that the U.S. Department of Commerce will provide up to $406 million in funding awards to GlobalWafers America, LLC (GWA) and MEMC LLC (MEMC), subsidiaries of GlobalWafers Co., Ltd. This funding is part of the CHIPS Incentives Program’s Funding Opportunity for Commercial Fabrication Facilities. The funds will be released as GWA and MEMC achieve project milestones.
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo stated, “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.” She emphasized that this investment would create over 2,000 jobs across Texas and Missouri.
National Economic Advisor Lael Brainard noted, “Today’s announcement secures a nearly $4 billion investment to onshore a domestic source for silicon wafers - the foundation for all chips and an end-to-end semiconductor ecosystem here in the United States.”
The investments are expected to result in total capital expenditures of about $4 billion across Texas and Missouri, strengthening the domestic supply chain for key semiconductor components. These projects will support construction efforts in both states, creating approximately 1,700 construction jobs and 880 manufacturing jobs.
In Texas, GWA's facility will become the first advanced high-volume 300mm silicon wafer plant in the country. Meanwhile, MEMC's Missouri facility will focus on producing 300mm silicon-on-insulator wafers for defense and aerospace applications.
Additionally, GlobalWafers plans to convert part of its existing Sherman, Texas facility from silicon epitaxy wafer manufacturing to silicon carbide epitaxy wafer production—critical for high-voltage applications like electric vehicles.
Doris Hsu, Chairperson and CEO of GlobalWafers expressed pride in participating with CHIPS for America: “GlobalWafers is proud to be a CHIPS for America participant and the only global producer now building advanced wafer facilities in the United States.”
CHIPS for America has allocated over $25 billion out of more than $36 billion proposed incentives funding so far. This initiative aims to create over 125,000 jobs nationwide as part of President Biden's economic plan focused on stimulating private sector investment and revitalizing communities.
For further details on these projects, visit chips.gov.
