SkyWater Plans to Build Advanced $1.8B Semiconductor Manufacturing Facility in Partnership with the State of Indiana and Purdue University
Watch the videoDiscovery Park District, a 400-acre, mixed-use development adjacent to Purdue University’s West Lafayette campus, provides investing companies access to Purdue faculty experts in the semiconductor field, highly sought-after graduates prepared to work in the industry and vast Purdue research resources. SkyWater’s Indiana fab is shown as a conceptual design to the left.
SkyWater, Purdue University and the State of Shown in the photo from left, Purdue University President Mitch Daniels, Indiana Secretary of Commerce Bradley Chambers, SkyWater President and CEO Thomas Sonderman, West Lafayette Mayor John Dennis, Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb and Lafayette Mayor Tony Roswarski participate in the announcement that SkyWater chose Discovery Park District at Purdue as the location for a $1.8 billion state-of-the-art semiconductor manufacturing facility. (Purdue University photo/John Underwood)
Purdue press releaseState of Indiana press releaseToday’s SkyWater announcement is fantastic for the people of Indiana and a great credit to @GovHolcomb‘s leadership. This investment will create hundreds of high-paying, good-quality jobs for the people of Indiana and will help secure the U.S. semiconductor supply chain. pic.twitter.com/Bdj3Zq8jRb
— Secretary Gina Raimondo (@SecRaimondo) July 20, 2022
The fab will be located on the Purdue campus in the Discovery Park District, a 400-acre mixed use development.
The new facility is expected to create 750 direct jobs.
We will begin by hiring technicians and engineers as we begin operations. As the business scales up at the Indiana facility, we will ramp up hiring to meet those needs. At full capacity, we estimate the site will support 750 jobs in a variety of roles.
The ability to make this large of an investment will be the result of SkyWater, Purdue University and the State of Indiana working together to successfully obtain federal incentives in the form of grants as defined in the CHIPS Act currently making its way through Congress. Congress passing this legislation is key to ensuring companies like SkyWater can meet this increasing demand domestically and have less reliance on other countries for semiconductor manufacturing.
SkyWater will continue to be a trusted, domestic source for microelectronics. Based in the U.S. and owned by U.S. investors, SkyWater will fill a desperately needed gap in the supply chain that has become increasingly reliant on foreign sources of chips manufactured on the other side of the world.
SkyWater, the State of Indiana, Purdue University and local governments will work collectively to pursue CHIPS funding upon its passage by Congress. These funds are designed to offset the high costs of building and operating manufacturing facilities in the U.S.
We intend to break ground as soon as possible, but there are several factors that will impact when that happens. Passage of the CHIPS legislation is the first thing that must happen. Then in collaboration with Purdue University and the State of Indiana we will pursue funding. Following passage of the legislation, we anticipate funds will be awarded within 3-6 months.
Assuming the Federal government moves swiftly, we expect to break ground in 2023. We are ready to move forward and will not hesitate once legislation is passed and potential funds are awarded.
When selecting West Lafayette as the fab site, SkyWater considered factors that will play roles both in the short and long-terms, including but not limited to, the state’s highly skilled manufacturing workforce, proximity to university engineering programs and semiconductor customers, the Scalable Asymmetric Lifecycle Engagement program managed by Purdue and sponsored by NSWC Crane, Indiana’s strong domestic and international relations, and the quality of life Indiana residents enjoy. SkyWater will continuously strengthen relationships within the University and the State to contribute to Indiana’s workforce, economy and position in international business relations.