The U.S. Department of Commerce will award GlobalWafers America and MEMC, LLC, U.S. subsidiaries of Taiwan-based GlobalWafers Co., Ltd., up to $406 million in direct funding under the CHIPS Incentives Program's Funding Opportunity for Commercial Fabrication Facilities.

The award will support planned investments of $4 billion in advanced semiconductor wafer manufacturing facilities in Sherman, Texas and St. Peters, Missouri. The Department will disburse the funds based on GWA's and MEMC's completion of project milestones over a multi-year timeframe.

"Starting next year and for the first time in over 20 years, the U.S. will again be home to advanced wafers for leading-edge integrated circuits. Our new facilities will fill a key vulnerability in the U.S. supply chain and bring back to American shores the technology that was pioneered here over 60 years ago," said GlobalWafers' President Mark England. He also added: "As the only global wafer manufacturer participating in the CHIPS for America Program, we are fully committed to supporting the nation's semiconductor manufacturing rebirth."

"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."

Key Facts:
Silicon wafers are critical components in the semiconductor ecosystem as they are a foundational input used in all chips. Today, GlobalWafers is one of five global companies that account for more than 80% of the global 300 mm silicon wafer market. Supported by the CHIPS Direct Funding Agreement, GlobalWafers' expansion plans include:

• Sherman, Texas: Starting in H1 2025, GWA will be the first high-volume advanced 300 mm silicon wafer facility in the United States. 300 mm silicon wafers are a key input used by foundries and integrated device manufacturers to manufacture leading-edge, mature-node, and memory chips.
• St. Peters, Missouri: In H1 2025, MEMC will manufacture 300 mm silicon-on-insulator ("SOI") wafers. SOI wafers allow for significantly improved performance in harsh environments and are commonly used in defense and aerospace end uses. SOI wafers are ideal for high-speed, low-power electronic applications like MEMS (microelectromechanical system) devices.
• When at full capacity, the new investments will account for more than 800 new permanent jobs in Texas and Missouri. Approximately 1700 construction jobs are expected to be created by the projects.
• In addition to the direct grant funding announced today, GWC will apply for the U.S. Treasury Department's Advanced Manufacturing Investment Credit (AMIC) of up to 25% of qualified expenditures at the GWA and MEMC LLC facilities.
• $6 million of the overall direct grant will be dedicated to strengthening workforce development activities at GWA.

Speaking from Hsinchu, Taiwan, GlobalWafers Chairwoman and CEO Doris Hsu expressed her personal thanks to the U.S. Government and especially to the Department of Commerce CHIPS Program, noting, "GlobalWafers is pleased to be a key node in the U.S. semiconductor supply chain. A special thanks to Secretary Raimondo and her team for being committed partners throughout this important journey. Our new advanced facilities in Texas and Missouri are strategic investments for both GWC AND the United States."

GlobalWafers Co., Ltd., the world's third largest supplier of semiconductor wafers, maintains 18 manufacturing and operational sites spanning three continents and nine countries. The company is a global leader in semiconductor technology, providing innovative and advanced technology solutions to leading chip manufacturers to transform lives around the world.