Universal Crystal Breaks Ground on 300mm Wafer Gigafactory in Texas

According to eeNews, Global Wafers has broken ground on a massive facility in Texas to produce 300mm wafers, a key part of the silicon supply chain.

The 3.2 million-square-foot megafab in Sherman, Texas, the first silicon wafer fab built in the United States in more than 20 years, will address a critical shortage of domestic silicon supplies.

Universal Wafer had hoped to acquire Germany's Siltronic to increase its wafer production capacity, but the deal was opposed by regulators. So the company set its sights on the US.

The Texas facility benefits from US CHIPS Act and 2022 Science Act funding as well as state/local incentives, although the company says it also has strong support from local US customers.

The company said the factory would enter mass production within two years, with "sufficient room" on the 58-hectare site for future multi-phase expansion.