Press Releases

SkyWater to present webinar on RH90 ecosystem development at 2021 NSREC Virtual Conference

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – July 15, 2021 – SkyWater Technology (NASDAQ: SKYT), the trusted technology realization partner, today announced the launch of its first Early Access Program multi-project wafer shuttle for the company’s 90 nm Strategic Rad-Hard by Process platform. The first MPW shuttle leverages SkyWater’s existing aluminum interconnect technology. Subsequent shuttles, planned for October 2021 and January 2022, are expected to use copper (Cu) interconnects that will become part of the standard process flow for enhanced mixed-signal device performance.

RH90 is a fully depleted silicon-on-insulator complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor process specifically developed to produce electronics which can withstand harsh radiation environments. SkyWater aims to accelerate delivery of its offering to address U.S. government needs.SkyWater will present a webinar, “RH90 Ecosystem Development” at the 2021 Nuclear & Space Radiation Effects (NSREC) virtual conference, on July 19, 2021 from 2:10 – 2:30 p.m. EST.

Facilitation of the advanced rad-hard process was enabled by the previously announced investment by the U.S. Department of Defense in the now-completed expansion of SkyWater’s facility. While the new portion of the facility was built to enhance microelectronics capabilities for the DOD and the Strategic Rad-Hard market, it also provides complementary technologies for commercial applications in extreme environments such as space and medical imaging.

Multiple customers submitted IC designs that are being fabricated on the first MPW shuttle. These customers are participating in SkyWater’s Early Access Program and have had the opportunity to evaluate the increased circuit density and improved speed, power, and performance capabilities of this next generation technology.

Because rad-hard applications demand high-reliability microelectronics that perform in the harshest environments, special attention needs to be paid to the design, layout, manufacturing processes and assembly of these integrated circuits. The demand for higher integration, smaller size, and better power efficiency is furthering the challenges in rad-hard IC development. SkyWater’s RH90 process is anticipated to double the performance for some applications due to increased density compared to industry standard offerings currently available for strategic aerospace and defense applications. 

According to John Kent, SkyWater executive vice president, technology development and design enablement, “SkyWater strategically developed its MPW solution for aerospace and defense applications. We are excited to collaborate with our early access partners to accelerate the availability of on-shore, Trusted solutions for national defense operations.” 

To attend SkyWater’s webinar on RH90 ecosystem development, click here for the company’s Zoom Room: NSREC webinar or visit: www.nsrec.com. 

About SkyWater Technology
SkyWater (NASDAQ: SKYT) is a U.S.-owned and U.S.-based pure-play semiconductor foundry and is a DOD-accredited Trusted supplier. Through its pioneering Technology Foundry model, the company provides custom development, volume manufacturing, and advanced packaging services in its world-class Bloomington, Minnesota and Kissimmee, Florida operations. SkyWater offers unique processing capabilities for mixed-signal CMOS, power, rad-hard and ROIC solutions. The company’s Technology as a Service^SM  (Taas) model enables development of superconducting and 3D ICs, along with carbon nanotube, photonic and MEMS devices. SkyWater serves customers in growing markets such as aerospace & defense, automotive, biomedical, cloud & computing, consumer, industrial and IoT. For more information, visit www.skywatertechnology.com/.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains “forward-looking” statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements that are based on the Company’s current expectations or forecasts of future events, rather than past events and outcomes, and such statements are not guarantees of future performance. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions, which may cause the Company’s actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Key factors that could cause the Company’s actual results to be different than expected or anticipated include, but are not limited to factors discussed in the “Risk Factors” section of the prospectus the Company filed with the SEC on April 22, 2021 and in other documents that the Company files with the SEC, which are available at http://www.sec.gov. The Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release.

SkyWater Company Contact: Tara Luther | tara.luther@skywatertechnology.com
SkyWater Media Contact: Lauri Julian | lauri.julian@skywatertechnology.com

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – June 15, 2021 – SkyWater Technology (NASDAQ: SKYT) is set to join the broad-market Russell 3000^® Index at the conclusion of the 2021 Russell indexes annual reconstitution, effective after the U.S. market opens on June 28, according to a preliminary list of additions posted June 4, 2021.

Annual Russell indexes reconstitution captures the 4,000 largest U.S. stocks as of May 7, 2021 ranking them by total market capitalization. Membership in the U.S. all-cap Russell 3000 Index, which remains in place for one year, means automatic inclusion in the large-cap Russell 1000^® Index or small-cap Russell 2000^® Index as well as the appropriate growth and value style indexes. FTSE Russell determines membership for its Russell indexes primarily by objective, market-capitalization rankings and style attributes.

“Following our initial public offering in April, SkyWater is looking forward to gaining further awareness in the global investment community with our inclusion in the Russell 3000 Index,” said Thomas Sonderman president and CEO of SkyWater. “We have an exciting growth story to share with the capital markets as we co-create the next generation of disruptive technologies with our Technology as a Service^SM business model.”

Russell indexes are widely used by investment managers and institutional investors for index funds and as benchmarks for active investment strategies. Approximately $10.6 trillion in assets are benchmarked against Russell’s U.S. indexes. Russell indexes are part of FTSE Russell, a leading global index provider.

For more information on the Russell 3000 Index and the Russell indexes reconstitution, go to the “Russell Reconstitution” section on the FTSE Russell website.

About SkyWater Technology

SkyWater is a U.S.-owned and U.S.-based pure play semiconductor foundry and is a DOD-accredited Trusted supplier, specializing in custom technology development services, volume manufacturing and advanced packaging capabilities. Through its Technology Foundry model, SkyWater’s world-class operations in Bloomington, Minnesota and Kissimmee, Florida provide unique processing capabilities to enable quality production and advanced packaging for mixed-signal CMOS, power, rad-hard and ROIC solutions. SkyWater’s Advanced Technology Services empower development of superconducting and 3D ICs, along with carbon nanotube, photonic and MEMS devices. The company serves customers in growing markets such as aerospace & defense, automotive, biomedical, cloud & computing, consumer, industrial and IoT. Please visit www.skywatertechnology.com/ for more information.

ABOUT FTSE RUSSELL

FTSE Russell is a global index leader that provides innovative benchmarking, analytics and data solutions for investors worldwide. FTSE Russell calculates thousands of indexes that measure and benchmark markets and asset classes in more than 70 countries, covering 98% of the investable market globally.

FTSE Russell index expertise and products are used extensively by institutional and retail investors globally. Approximately $17.9 trillion is currently benchmarked to FTSE Russell indexes. For over 30 years, leading asset owners, asset managers, ETF providers and investment banks have chosen FTSE Russell indexes to benchmark their investment performance and create ETFs, structured products and index-based derivatives.

A core set of universal principles guides FTSE Russell index design and management: a transparent rules-based methodology is informed by independent committees of leading market participants. FTSE Russell is focused on applying the highest industry standards in index design and governance and embraces the IOSCO Principles. FTSE Russell is also focused on index innovation and customer partnerships as it seeks to enhance the breadth, depth and reach of its offering.

FTSE Russell is wholly owned by London Stock Exchange Group.

For more information, visit www.ftserussell.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains “forward-looking” statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements that are based on the Company’s current expectations or forecasts of future events, rather than past, events and outcomes, and such statements are not guarantees of future performance. Forward-looking statements include all statements other than statements of historical fact contained in this presentation, including information or predictions concerning the Company’s future business, results of operations, financial performance, plans and objectives, competitive position, market trends, and potential growth and market opportunities. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by words such as “intends,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “potential,” “continues,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “expects,” “believes,” “should,” “could,” “may,” “will,” “targets,” “projects,” “seeks” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology.

Forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions, which may cause the Company’s actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Key factors that could cause the Company’s actual results to be different than expected or anticipated include, but are not limited to: our goals and strategies; our future business development, financial condition and results of operations; our ability to continue operating our sole semiconductor foundry at full capacity; our ability to appropriately respond to changing technologies on a timely and cost-effective basis; our customer relationships and our ability to retain and expand our customer relationships; our ability to accurately predict our future revenues for the purpose of appropriately budgeting and adjusting our expenses; our ability to diversify our customer base and develop relationships in new markets; our expectations regarding dependence on our largest customer; the performance and reliability of our third-party suppliers and manufacturers; our ability to control costs, including our operating and capital expenses; the size and growth potential of the markets for our solutions, and our ability to serve and expand our presence in those markets; the level of demand in our customers’ end markets; our ability to attract, train and retain key qualified personnel; adverse litigation judgments, settlements or other litigation-related costs; changes in trade policies, including the imposition of tariffs; our ability to raise additional capital or financing; our ability to accurately forecast demand; the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business, results of operations and financial condition; the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global economy; our ability to maintain compliance with certain U.S. Government contracting requirements; regulatory developments in the United States and foreign countries; our ability to protect our intellectual property rights; and other factors discussed in the “Risk Factors” section of the prospectus the Company filed with the SEC on April 22, 2021 and in other documents that the Company files with the SEC, which are available at http://www.sec.gov. The Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release.

SkyWater Investor Contact: Heather Davis | investor@skywatertechnology.com
SkyWater Media Contact: Lauri Julian | media@skywatertechnology.com

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – June 9, 2021 – SkyWater Technology (NASDAQ: SKYT), the trusted technology realization partner and only U.S. investor-owned, pure-play foundry, today applauded the U.S. Senate on its overwhelming bipartisan passage of the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act. The developing piece of legislation is expected to provide $52 billion to fund semiconductor research, design, and manufacturing initiatives. Additionally, the Biden Administration’s intense, thorough 100-day review studying supply chain challenges in critical industries, including semiconductors, has resulted in a comprehensive report identifying gaps and suggested solutions from across industries on how best to address this challenge.

“The unprecedented efforts by the President and the Senate to create solutions for re-shoring semiconductor manufacturing infrastructure will strengthen critical sectors of the U.S. economy,” said Thomas Sonderman, president and CEO of SkyWater.

Last week, SkyWater hosted Senator Amy Klobuchar and Representative Dean Phillips at its Minnesota facility to discuss challenges and opportunities for increasing domestic capabilities for microelectronics manufacturing. Their discussion focused on identifying opportunities for easing supply chain constraints through various means that would have both short- and long-term impact for supporting efforts to increase domestic semiconductor output in key markets such as automotive, medical and defense.

Sonderman continued, “The production of semiconductors in the U.S. has been declining for decades. It’s time for a market recalibration. We need to immediately begin re-shoring American semiconductor manufacturing. SkyWater is ready to do our part once the House passes, and President Biden signs, the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act.”

About SkyWater Technology

SkyWater (NASDAQ: SKYT) is a U.S.-owned and U.S.-based pure-play semiconductor foundry and is a DOD-accredited Trusted supplier, specializing in custom technology development services, volume manufacturing and advanced packaging capabilities. Through its Technology Foundry model, SkyWater’s world-class operations in Bloomington, Minnesota and Kissimmee, Florida provide unique processing capabilities to enable quality production and advanced packaging for mixed-signal CMOS, power, rad-hard and ROIC solutions. SkyWater’s Advanced Technology Services empower development of superconducting and 3D ICs, along with carbon nanotube, photonic and MEMS devices. The company serves customers in growing markets such as aerospace & defense, automotive, biomedical, cloud & computing, consumer, industrial and IoT. Please visit www.skywatertechnology.com/ for more information.

SkyWater Company Contact: Tara Luther | tara.luther@skywatertechnology.com
SkyWater Media Contact: Lauri Julian | media@skywatertechnology.com

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – June 8, 2021 – SkyWater Technology (NASDAQ: SKYT) the trusted technology realization partner, today announced the appointment of Ms. Amanda Daniel as the company’s first Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO). SkyWater’s growth strategy depends on attracting and retaining top talent.  Amanda has a proven track record of working in complex high-tech organizations, driving all aspects of human resource strategy and execution. In the CHRO role at SkyWater, she will craft talent acquisition strategies to build strong pipelines for future hiring needs while maximizing the effectiveness of the company’s existing human capital. An immediate priority will be defining and applying comprehensive organizational and leadership development solutions that embody SkyWater’s culture and business practices to further enable the execution of SkyWater’s business growth objectives.

With over 20 years of experience in the high-tech manufacturing space, Ms. Daniel has gained critical knowledge leading high performance global HR teams. Her strong background includes talent acquisition and the creation of organizational development programs that are derived from a culture based on diversity, equity, and inclusion. These experiences encompass the entire talent optimization spectrum, spanning organic growth as well as that tied to mergers and acquisitions.

“We are focused on optimizing our performance-driven culture as we aggressively expand and scale our Technology as a Service (TaaS) business model across the semiconductor industry,” said Thomas Sonderman, SkyWater president and CEO. “Amanda has the right expertise to help SkyWater rapidly adopt and integrate best in class human resource practices. By implementing the right programs, systems, and processes, SkyWater will continue to create an environment that inspires the best talent to co-create the future with our customers.”

Ms. Daniel’s previous experience includes most recently serving as senior vice president and CHRO at MTS Systems Corporation, a global supplier of test systems and industrial position sensors. Her prior positions include roles as vice president of human resources at Twin City Fan Companies, Ltd., Equus Holdings, Inc., and Stratasys, Ltd. Ms. Daniel holds a Bachelor of Science degree in applied psychology from St. Cloud State University and a Master of Arts degree in human resources and organizational development from the University of St. Thomas.

“I am thrilled to join the impressive executive team that has been assembled to lead SkyWater’s strategic and operational initiatives,” said Daniels.  I look forward to executing the company’s human resource strategy that will be integral to our fast-paced growth plans. My passion around the total employee experience and helping each employee reach their full potentialis well aligned with the high-performance culture at SkyWater.”

About SkyWater Technology

SkyWater Technology (NASDAQ: SKYT) is a U.S.-owned and U.S.-based pure-play semiconductor foundry and is a DOD-accredited Trusted supplier, specializing in custom technology development services, volume manufacturing and advanced packaging capabilities. Through its Technology Foundry model, SkyWater’s world-class operations in Bloomington, Minnesota and Kissimmee, Florida provide unique processing capabilities to enable quality production and advanced packaging for mixed-signal CMOS, power, rad-hard and ROIC solutions. SkyWater’s Advanced Technology Services empower development of superconducting and 3D ICs, along with carbon nanotube, photonic and MEMS devices. The company serves customers in growing markets such as aerospace & defense, automotive, biomedical, cloud & computing, consumer, industrial and IoT. Please visit www.skywatertechnology.com/ for more information.

SkyWater Company Contact: Tara Luther | tara.luther@skywatertechnology.com
SkyWater Media Contact: Lauri Julian | media@skywatertechnology.com

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – June 3, 2021 – SkyWater Technology (NASDAQ: SKYT) the trusted technology realization partner, today announced that it has named Gregg Damminga as its first Fellow, the highest technical title awarded by the company. Mr. Damminga has been recognized for his extraordinary technology leadership within the company and across the industry. As SkyWater focuses on increasing its technology process offerings and development services for its growing customer base, Mr. Damminga will play a key role in driving these initiatives.

“Gregg joined SkyWater from Cypress in 2017 when the company was founded. He has been a principal technical leader in the formation and expansion of SkyWater’s Advanced Technology Services,” said Thomas Sonderman, SkyWater president and CEO. “Gregg’s contributions to SkyWater’s process and architectural leadership will enable us to continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible. This appointment is part of SkyWater’s strategy for expanding services across multiple domestic sites within the next few years.”

Mr. Damminga has served as vice president of SkyWater’s Advanced Technology Services (ATS) and has played a leading role in technology definition for SkyWater’s customers. His focus on creative solutions for customers has enabled SkyWater to serve a variety of diverse and growing markets. Notably, he has been pivotal in implementing SkyWater’s Technology as a Service (TaaS) model which enables technology development work and manufacturing to take place in the same operation, streamlining the innovation to production process. Since SkyWater was formed in 2017, its ATS business has experienced significant growth and now accounts for two-thirds of the company’s overall business. As Fellow, Mr. Damminga will continue to drive and expand SkyWater’s TaaS business with its customers and across the company’s many technology platforms.

Mr. Damminga’s more than 30 years of experience in the semiconductor industry includes positions with Texas Instruments, STMicroelectronics, TSMC, and Cypress where he held individual contributor and management roles in process engineering and development, equipment maintenance, manufacturing, planning and production control. He earned his Master of Science degree and Bachelor of Science degree with highest distinction in Materials Science from Northwestern University.

“I’m honored to be recognized as SkyWater’s first Fellow and look forward to expanding technology services for our customers and supporting them with customized solutions,” said Damminga. “I’m excited about helping the company transform technology realization by accelerating our customers’ ideas to volume production. I am very proud of my contributions to SkyWater and being an integral part of its continued growth.”

About SkyWater Technology

SkyWater Technology (NASDAQ: SKYT) is a U.S.-owned and U.S.-based pure-play semiconductor foundry and is a DOD-accredited Trusted supplier, specializing in custom technology development services, volume manufacturing and advanced packaging capabilities. Through its Technology Foundry model, SkyWater’s world-class operations in Bloomington, Minnesota and Kissimmee, Florida provide unique processing capabilities to enable quality production and advanced packaging for mixed-signal CMOS, power, rad-hard and ROIC solutions. SkyWater’s Advanced Technology Services empower development of superconducting and 3D ICs, along with carbon nanotube, photonic and MEMS devices. The company serves customers in growing markets such as aerospace & defense, automotive, biomedical, cloud & computing, consumer, industrial and IoT. Please visit www.skywatertechnology.com/ for more information.

SkyWater Company Contact: Tara Luther | tara.luther@skywatertechnology.com
SkyWater Media Contact: Lauri Julian | media@skywatertechnology.com

Visit focused on supporting efforts to increase domestic output of technologies for automotive, medical and defense markets

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – June 2, 2021 – SkyWater Technology (NASDAQ: SKYT) the trusted technology realization partner, today announced it hosted U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar and Representative Dean Phillips on June 1, 2021 for a facility tour and press conference to review challenges and opportunities for increasing domestic capabilities and capacities for microelectronics and related technologies. Klobuchar and Phillips joined SkyWater president and CEO Thomas Sonderman and other staff for a fab tour. During the visit, their discussion focused on identifying opportunities for easing supply chain restraints through various means that would have both short and long-term impact for supporting efforts to increase domestic output of technologies in key markets such as automotive, medical and defense.

The visit included a press conference where Klobuchar spoke about efforts to boost semiconductor production and other manufacturing technologies across the country. She and Phillips both discussed the trend in recent decades of microelectronics manufacturing moving offshore. Recent events including the global pandemic and supply constraints in the automotive industry have highlighted dynamics that have been developing for decades and represent vulnerabilities for markets and applications with more sensitivities to supply volatility or IP security.

During the press conference, Sen. Klobuchar said, “The production of semiconductors in the U.S. has been declining for decades and SkyWater is actually one of those success stories – a company that against all odds kept going, has expanded, and has 500 employees right here.”

In his speech, Rep. Phillips said, “For a state that has long been known around the world as an innovator, having incubated some of the most extraordinary companies in history, I am thrilled and honored to represent the district in which SkyWater is located. Days like this inspire me to work harder, more expeditiously, and more intently to make America the hub of innovation for which we were once known – and for which we will be known again, thanks to SkyWater.”

“We are grateful to have hosted Senator Klobuchar and Representative Phillips at our Minnesota facility. We appreciate their support of policies to strengthen America’s manufacturing industry and workforce as well as improve its competitiveness,” said Sonderman. “We were pleased to discuss the importance of feature-rich technologies that go into automotive and other markets and SkyWater’s plans to increase capacity and create jobs for Minnesotans.”

Government funding initiatives for re-shoring chip manufacturing have been at the forefront of President Biden’s administration and Congress. The U.S. Innovation and Competition Act, which combines the $50 billion CHIPS Act, along with another bipartisan technology funding bill called the Endless Frontier Act (that includes $120 billion in funding for the National Science Foundation, the Department of Commerce, the Department of Energy and NASA), is making its way through the U.S. Senate and is expected to be voted on next week. Following successful passage in the Senate, the bill will be debated and voted on in the U.S. House.

About SkyWater

SkyWater is a U.S.-owned and U.S.-based pure play semiconductor foundry and is a DOD-accredited Trusted supplier, specializing in custom technology development services, volume manufacturing and advanced packaging capabilities. Through its Technology Foundry model, SkyWater’s world-class operations in Bloomington, Minnesota and Kissimmee, Florida provide unique processing capabilities to enable quality production and advanced packaging for mixed-signal CMOS, power, rad-hard and ROIC solutions. SkyWater’s Advanced Technology Services empower development of superconducting and 3D ICs, along with carbon nanotube, photonic and MEMS devices. The company serves customers in growing markets such as aerospace & defense, automotive, biomedical, cloud & computing, consumer, industrial and IoT. Please visit www.skywatertechnology.com/ for more information.

SkyWater Company Contact: Tara Luther | tara.luther@skywatertechnology.com
SkyWater Media Contact: Lauri Julian | media@skywatertechnology.com

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – May 26, 2021 – SkyWater Technology (NASDAQ: SKYT) today announced that Thomas Sonderman, president and CEO, and Steve Manko, chief financial officer, will participate in the 49th Annual Cowen Technology, Media & Telecom Conference on Wednesday, June 2, 2021. The company will participate in a virtual fireside chat at 1:30 p.m. CT (2:30 p.m. ET).

A live webcast and replay of the event will be available on the company’s investor relations website ir.skywatertechnology.com.

About SkyWater

SkyWater is a U.S.-owned and U.S.-based pure play semiconductor foundry and is a DOD-accredited Trusted supplier, specializing in custom technology development services, volume manufacturing and advanced packaging capabilities. Through its Technology Foundry model, SkyWater’s world-class operations in Bloomington, Minnesota and Kissimmee, Florida provide unique processing capabilities to enable quality production and advanced packaging for mixed-signal CMOS, power, rad-hard and ROIC solutions. SkyWater’s Advanced Technology Services empower development of superconducting and 3D ICs, along with carbon nanotube, photonic and MEMS devices. The company serves customers in growing markets such as aerospace & defense, automotive, biomedical, cloud & computing, consumer, industrial and IoT. Please visit www.skywatertechnology.com/ for more information.

SkyWater Investor Contact: Heather Davis | investor@skywatertechnology.com
SkyWater Media Contact: Lauri Julian | media@skywatertechnology.com

• Program includes a pre-designed carrier chip and automated open source design flow from Efabless
• SkyWater’s open source SKY130 process is the first node to be used to fabricate chips for the program
• Initiative removes access barriers by significantly reducing cost and the need for deep semiconductor experience to design chips

SAN JOSE, Calif. and BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – May 20, 2021 – Efabless, a community chip creation platform, today announced the launch of its new chipIgnite program to bring chip design and fabrication to the masses and a collaboration with SkyWater Technology (NASDAQ: SKYT) for the first node supported in the program. The chipIgnite program expands upon the SKY130-based open source chip manufacturing program sponsored by Google and supports private commercial designs that include non-open source IP. This initiative represents another step forward in the industry to broaden access to chip design by giving people the ability to more easily create and fabricate chips.

The chipIgnite program offers unique value to the designer which includes not only low-cost manufacturing, but also a development board and firmware stack to simplify design validation and test. All projects created as part of the chipIgnite program will utilize a full chip reference design template that implements the physical IO for the chip as well as provides a common management area to support test and evaluation of the user’s design. The program also includes an optional automated open source design flow for implementing projects that enables users to generate layouts for their digital projects from RTL. The chipIgnite program will provide users a guaranteed reservation to ensure their project is included.

SkyWater’s open source 130 nm CMOS platform will be used to fabricate chips for the chipIgnite program. The automotive-grade mixed-signal platform is well suited for IoT and edge computing as it is in a sweet spot for enabling a combination of both digital and analog circuit performance with embedded non-volatile memory for a wide range of SoC architectures. The program provides users 10 mm²of total project area with fabrication for projects using the SkyWater Open Source PDK.

The chipIgnite program builds on an active community of 1500+ users for the Open PDK initiative where new designers can get support and access to resources through community messaging platforms such as Slack. In addition to using freely available design flows based on open source EDA tools, designers can also employ proprietary design tools for creating their designs, allowing them to address design requirements not supported by open source tools.

The program is a good fit for users who want to create an initial prototype or proof-of-concept for an IP block or full SoC. The starting price of $9750 per project includes 100 QFN or 300 WCSP packaged parts and five evaluation boards. The chipIgnite shuttles also support users who are distributing initial boards or launching a pilot for their product. An option for 1000 WCSP parts at $20 each is available that enables the service to be used for early product builds.

The first manufacturing run in the chipIgnite program is optimized for university digital and mixed-signal chip design courses with a submission deadline for tapeout of June 18, 2021. The delivery of parts and assembled boards is planned for early October.

The first shuttle in the chipIgnite program will support fabrication of student projects as part of the EE272B course in the Electrical Engineering department at Stanford University for senior undergraduate and graduate students.

The new program also has industry support from organizations including QuickLogic and the CHIPS Alliance.

“QuickLogic joins Efabless and SkyWater in fully supporting open source initiatives,” said Brian Faith, CEO of QuickLogic. “The new chipIgnite program is a great way for innovators to create customized devices quickly and cost effectively.”

“CHIPS Alliance is a major champion of open source hardware design and associated design automation tools. I am excited to see the chipIgnite program offered by Efabless to include many different collaborative IP developers to prove new ideas. The platform alleviates the barriers to entry into chip design and allows for ready exploration of many concepts,” said Rob Mains, general manager of CHIPS Alliance.

For more information about the program, please visit https://efabless.com/chipignite or contact  shuttle@efabless.com. For more information about SkyWater and how its Technology as a Service (TaaS) model streamlines the concept to market journey for innovators, contact swfoundry@skywatertechnology.com or visit www.skywatertechnology.com.

About Efabless Corporation

Efabless.com offers a crowd platform and marketplace for chip design that uses open source and community models to make the design and commercialization of ICs simple, inexpensive and accessible to everyone. Product developers use this platform to rapidly, cost-effectively and reliably create custom silicon. Chip developers use the solution to dramatically reduce cost and time to market for proof of concept of new and exciting ICs. The Efabless model is extensible to advanced packaging, software, subsystems and full systems. Efabless is headquartered in San Jose, California. For more information, visit www.efabless.com.

About SkyWater Technology

SkyWater is a U.S.-owned and U.S.-based pure play semiconductor foundry and is a DOD-accredited Trusted supplier, specializing in custom technology development services, volume manufacturing, and advanced packaging capabilities. Through its Technology Foundry model, SkyWater’s world-class operations in Bloomington, Minnesota and Kissimmee, Florida provide unique processing capabilities to enable quality production and advanced packaging for mixed-signal CMOS, power, rad-hard and ROIC solutions. SkyWater’s Advanced Technology Services empower development of superconducting and 3D ICs, along with carbon nanotube, photonic and MEMS devices. The company serves customers in growing markets such as aerospace & defense, automotive, biomedical, cloud & computing, consumer, industrial and IoT.  For more information, please visit: www.skywatertechnology.com/.

Efabless Company Contact: Jeff DiCorpo | 408.896.2078 | jeffdi@efabless.com

SkyWater Company Contact: Tara Luther | 952.851.5023 | tara.luther@skywatertechnology.com

SkyWater Media Contact: Lauri Julian | 949.280.5602 | lauri.julian@skywatertechnology.com

Record Net Sales of $48 Million

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – May 18, 2021 – SkyWater Technology (NASDAQ: SKYT) today announced financial results for the first quarter of 2021, ended April 4, 2021.

• Net sales grew 30% year-over-year to $48.1 million
• Net loss to shareholders of $2.8 million, or (6%) of net sales
• Adjusted EBITDA of $5.6 million, or 12% of net sales

“SkyWater delivered record net sales in our first quarter driven by continued growth in our Advanced Technology Services (ATS) business,” said SkyWater Technology president and chief executive officer Thomas Sonderman. “Our Minnesota fab is ramping automotive and IoT-related production activities as we see significant increases in demand while continuing to transition customers from ATS into volume Wafer Services. During the quarter we also engaged with several new partners in both our ATS business and as part of our 130 nanometer (nm) mixed-signal offering.”

Mr. Sonderman continued, “The start-up of SkyWater’s Advanced Packaging fab in Florida is progressing as planned with the existing Department of Defense program commencement underway. Completing our initial public offering in April, while delivering a strong quarter, is a testament to the dedication and tenacity of SkyWater’s employees as we co-create the next generation of disruptive technologies with our customers.”

View the full First Quarter Results on SkyWater Technology’s Investor Relations page: https://ir.skywatertechnology.com

Investor Webcast

SkyWater will host a conference call on Wednesday, May 19, 2021, at 9:00 a.m. CT to discuss its first quarter 2 financial results. A live webcast of the call will be available online at ir.skywatertechnology.com.

About SkyWater

SkyWater is a U.S.-owned and U.S.-based pure play semiconductor foundry and is a DOD-accredited Trusted supplier, specializing in custom technology development services, volume manufacturing and advanced packaging capabilities. Through its Technology Foundry model, SkyWater’s world-class operations in Bloomington, Minnesota and Kissimmee, Florida provide unique processing capabilities to enable quality production and advanced packaging for mixed-signal CMOS, power, rad-hard and ROIC solutions. SkyWater’s Advanced Technology Services empower development of superconducting and 3D ICs, along with carbon nanotube, photonic and MEMS devices. The company serves customers in growing markets such as aerospace & defense, automotive, biomedical, cloud & computing, consumer, industrial and IoT. Please visit www.skywatertechnology.com/ for more information.

SkyWater Investor Contact: Heather Davis | investor@skywatertechnology.com
SkyWater Media Contact: Lauri Julian | media@skywatertechnology.com