Chips & Supply · United States

U.S. Foundry Race Intensifies Among Global Firms

Credited to Business Korea · businesskorea.co.kr · 3h ago

Samsung’s Taylor Facility Faces Sharper Competition as Intel and TSMC Expand Their US Manufacturing Plans While TSMC Eyes Texas, GF Is Backed by Japanese Funds

The movement of global companies seeking to expand their foundry production facilities in the United States is accelerating. While TSMC, the world’s number one, is reviewing a new investment in Texas, the U.S.-based GlobalFoundries (GF) is building a plant in New York with Japanese funds. This is the result of local production demands from U.S. clients combined with the U.S. government’s demands for investment from allied nations. With Samsung Electronics also preparing to operate its Taylor plant in Texas, competition to secure clients in the U.S. is expected to become even fiercer in the future.

According to the industry on Oct. 16, TSMC Chairman C.C. Wei stated during the third-quarter earnings conference call on Oct. 15 that major U.S. clients are requesting an expansion of local semiconductor production capacity, noting, “We have already dispatched a team to Texas and conducted an evaluation.” Although there are differences of opinion on the plant operation method, they are also in discussions with “Terafab,” a semiconductor plant promoted by Tesla CEO Elon Musk. The investment scale and timing have not been determined.

TSMC is already investing a total of $265 billion in Arizona to expand its production facilities. It is establishing a base ranging from the production of semiconductor wafers for AI and high-performance computing (HPC) to advanced packaging and research and development. The second plant is under construction and is planned to begin mass production in the third quarter of next year. U.S. clients are requesting domestic investments, citing reasons such as supply chain diversification. As advanced semiconductor production is concentrated in Taiwan, the objective is to reduce geopolitical risks caused by the U.S.-China conflict and secure a stable production volume.

Amidst this landscape, the methods of investing in semiconductor infrastructure within the U.S. are also diversifying. On Oct. 14 (local tine), U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. Department of Commerce will inject up to $21 billion from Japan’s investment funds in the U.S. into two semiconductor plants being built in Malta, New York. This marks the first time that 100% Japanese funds are directly injected into U.S. semiconductor manufacturing infrastructure. The first plant is planned to begin construction this year and operate in 2029, and the decision on whether to build the second plant will be determined by the end of 2028.

In exchange for providing the funds, Japan will jointly own the plants with the US and can secure supply opportunities for its domestic semiconductor equipment companies, as well as a procurement base for semiconductors produced by GlobalFoundries (GF). GF reduces its initial investment burden amounting to tens of trillions of won while gaining profits from providing technology and operating the plants for at least 20 years. The U.S. government also plans to secure an additional 4% stake in GF through a separate agreement, increasing its holding to about 7%. In addition to this, Intel is currently building two advanced semiconductor plants in Ohio with the goal of operating them between 2030 and 2031.

As competition for U.S. production bases intensifies, Samsung Electronics’ strategy to secure additional clients for its Taylor plant is also expected to become increasingly important. In the case of GF, it focuses on mature processes, which differ from the main processes of the Taylor plant, but if TSMC expands its production base to Texas, the pressure Samsung Electronics faces in the competition to win orders from U.S. clients could also increase.

Samsung Electronics is fostering the first Taylor plant as a core base for advanced foundry. The first Taylor plant has currently begun test production on some production lines and is preparing for operation within the year. The second Taylor plant is also planned to begin construction at the end of this year with the goal of mass production in 2030.

The strategy for the Samsung Electronics Taylor plant is to expand its client base in the AI and high-performance computing (HPC) sectors, using its supply to Tesla as a stepping stone, and to strengthen its competitiveness in the 2-nanometer process. In July last year, it won an order for artificial intelligence (AI) chips worth 23 trillion won (about $17.28 billion) from Tesla. Moving forward, securing stable mass production and yield, as well as whether additional long-term supply contracts are signed, are expected to become variables in the U.S. foundry market.

The U.S. demands for expanding local semiconductor production could extend beyond the foundry sector into the memory sector. Consequently, there is a possibility that both Samsung Electronics and SK hynix will face pressure surrounding the expansion of production facilities in the U.S. and the schedules for plant completion and operation.

Chips & SupplyUnited States

Solidigm Hires Trump-Tied Lobbying Firm

Credited to Business Korea · businesskorea.co.kr4h ago

Useful

Solidigm, the U.S. subsidiary of SK hynix, has hired a lobbying firm with deep ties to close associates of U.S. President Donald Trump.According to a U.S. congressional lobbying disclosure on Oct. 15 (local time), Solidigm announced on Oct. 14 that it had appointed the lobbying…

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Chips & Supply · United States

SEMICON West 2026 Displays AI-Era Chipmaking, Workforce Development

Credited to EE Times · eetimes.com · 1h ago

Photograph · EE Times

The trillion-dollar semiconductor industry is ready to adapt and expand its fab infrastructure for the AI wave.

SEMICON West 2026 opened at Moscone Center in San Francisco on a jubilant note: Semiconductors are now a trillion-dollar industry. In his opening keynote, SEMI CEO Ajit Manocha proclaimed the start of happy times and, besides AI, he credited IoT and quantum computing with turning the semiconductor industry into a trillion-dollar behemoth.

The event covered the entire semiconductor manufacturing value chain—lithography, photomasking, wafer inspection, materials, and more—while also offering a detailed look at the AI economy, accelerated EDA, quantum computing, chiplets, and advanced packaging. For instance, Synopsys CEO Sassine Ghazi sat for a fireside chat to explain the role of autonomous AI in chip design.

Zeiss Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology (SMT), which supplies lithography optics and photomask systems for chip fabrication, announced its entry into wafer inspection systems at SEMICON West while showcasing two new products: Zeiss DUNE and Zeiss NLX.

Zeiss DUNE measures wafer topography and can correct it individually, addressing the critical challenge of wafer bow in complex fabrication processes. “Wafer flatness has become a huge issue,” Raghu Nayak, head of U.S. sales for Zeiss SMT, told EE Times. “Zeiss DUNE helps flatten wafers and ensures overlay for next fabrication steps.”

Zeiss NLX, designed for 300-mm wafers, makes internal structures in modern chip packages visible without destroying them. So engineers can inspect connections between stacked dies and detect potential defects early. “These inspection systems will help engineers in wafer-by-wafer adjustments and thus boost precision, process control, and productivity in semiconductor fabrication,” Nayak added.

Next, Mitsubishi Chemical Group (MCG) showcased solutions across its polymers, films, materials, and chemicals portfolios. Fallyn Flaherty-Earp, MCG’s global market director, told EE Times that for polymers, it’s currently readying new materials for semiconductor manufacturing equipment. For films, it’s developing a new biopolymer for PCBs for use in flexible electronics. MCG is also developing new materials for formulated silicon for advanced packaging applications.

At SEMICON West, high-precision vacuum coating equipment supplier Von Ardenne announced it is expanding its semiconductor deposition portfolio to panel-level packaging (PLP). The company’s U.S. CEO, Stephen Strausser, told EE Times that, in advanced packaging, Von Ardenne has a one- to two-year lead in coating and deposition for panel-level glass substrates.

The privately owned German firm’s HiPIMS solution deposits high-aspect-ratio barrier and seed layers in through-glass via (TGV) holes, enabling dense, highly adherent functional-film deposition and improved material performance. This allows semiconductor manufacturers to migrate established deposition processes from 300-mm wafer formats to larger panel form factors for advanced packaging applications, including through-glass vias (TGVs) and redistribution layers (RDL).

Another German firm, Heidenhain, unveiled a new full air-bearing planar platform for the most demanding step‑and‑scan semiconductor applications. The high-precision METIS HP platform includes direct laser writing and high‑resolution optical inspection systems. Heidenhain provides sub-nanometer motion control and position feedback solutions for wafer manufacturing.

SEMICON West wasn’t all about semiconductor manufacturing tech bytes such as wet cleaning, electroplating, and thermal processing. Building a skilled workforce for the new fab buildout was also high on the event’s agenda.

Workforce development has been a key theme, given that the huge front-end and back-end chip fabrication infrastructure is expected to create life-changing careers across different regions of the U.S. Phoenix City Mayor Kate Gallego talked about fab apprenticeship programs in her speech at the event.

Then, there is fab construction specialist ABM, which provides equipment installation, contamination control, and cleanroom services. ABM is gearing up to provide workforce solutions after completing its merger with WGNSTAR, a Dublin, Ireland–founded provider of managed workforce solutions and equipment support services for the semiconductor industry.

Darrell McDaniel, ABM’s VP of Technical Training & Asset Relocation, sees massive fab buildout as a huge opportunity in terms of workforce development and training programs. He pointed to ABM’s Technical Training Center in Boise, Idaho, a recently launched fab skills development program for advanced semiconductor manufacturing with capacity to accommodate about 500 participants annually.

SEMICON West 2026, held on Oct. 13-15, 2026, is a testament to how the semiconductor world has changed and how AI sits right in the center of this transformation. This sense of optimism was everywhere, and industry executives seemed confident the good times are here to stay for now.

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RELATED TOPICS: ADVANCED PACKAGING, AI AND BIG DATA, CHIP MANUFACTURING, EUV LITHOGRAPHY, SEMICON WEST, SEMICONDUCTORS

COMPANIES: ABM, HEIDENHAIN, MITSUBISHI CHEMICAL GROUP, VON ARDENNE, ZEISS

Majeed Ahmad, Editor in Chief of EDN and Planet Analog, has covered electronics design industry for longer than two decades. During this period, he has worked in various editorial positions, including assignments for EE Times Asia and Electronic Products. He holds a Masters’ degree in telecommunication engineering from Eindhoven University of Technology. Follow Majeed on LinkedIn