TAIPEI—In a major move to strengthen the U.S. semiconductor supply chain, Taiwan-based GlobalWafers announced Thursday it is increasing its planned investment in American manufacturing facilities to 3.5 billion commitment. The decision underscores the growing urgency among tech firms to align with U.S. efforts to reduce reliance on overseas chip production amid geopolitical tensions and pandemic-driven shortages.
The expanded investment, which includes a fresh $4 billion injection, will fund the construction of state-of-the-art silicon wafer plants in Texas and Missouri. These facilities are expected to begin production by 2025 and eventually supply critical components to U.S. chipmakers like Intel, Texas Instruments, and GlobalFoundries. Silicon wafers—thin slices of semiconductor material—are the foundational building blocks for microchips used in everything from smartphones to military hardware.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the decision follows months of negotiations with U.S. officials and reflects confidence in federal incentives under the CHIPS and Science Act, a $52 billion package designed to revitalize domestic semiconductor manufacturing. GlobalWafers’ CEO, Doris Hsu, emphasized that the expansion will create over 2,000 high-skilled jobs and help “rebalance a fragile global supply chain.”
“The U.S. is taking decisive steps to reclaim leadership in semiconductor manufacturing, and GlobalWafers is proud to be part of this mission,” Hsu said in a statement. “This investment isn’t just about meeting today’s demand—it’s about securing the technologies of tomorrow.”
The announcement comes as nations worldwide scramble to shore up their chipmaking capacities. Over 90% of the world’s most advanced semiconductors are currently produced in Taiwan and South Korea, a concentration that has raised alarms in Washington and Brussels. GlobalWafers, the world’s third-largest wafer producer, aims to mitigate this risk by diversifying its geographic footprint. Analysts say the U.S. expansion could also help the company compete with rivals like Japan’s Shin-Etsu and South Korea’s SK Siltron.
The new plants will focus on producing 300-millimeter wafers, which are essential for cutting-edge chips powering artificial intelligence, electric vehicles, and quantum computing. Once operational, the facilities could supply up to 15% of the U.S. market’s wafer demand, reducing dependency on imports from Asia.
Industry leaders and policymakers applauded the move. U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo called it a “game-changer” for national security and economic competitiveness, while Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) hailed the jobs boost as a “win for American workers.”
However, challenges remain. Rising construction costs and a shortage of specialized labor could delay timelines, and some experts warn that the global chip industry may face oversupply by 2026. Still, GlobalWafers’ bet reflects a broader consensus: as tech becomes the backbone of modern economies, controlling the semiconductor supply chain is no longer optional—it’s existential.
With this investment, GlobalWafers joins giants like TSMC and Samsung in betting big on U.S. soil, signaling a seismic shift in how the world’s most critical technology is built—and who controls its future.
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