By Percy Gilbert, Ph.D., SVP, Engineering
When I first heard about SkyWater in early 2024, I was surprised to learn about a U.S.-based semiconductor foundry, not only surviving but thriving, partnering with innovators and supporting missions that really matter. The more I learned, the more intrigued I became. And now, more than 90 days in, I can say that the reality has more than lived up to that first impression.
My first few weeks were all about listening and learning. I spent time with customers, partners, engineers, and operators. After more than two decades at IBM, I approached this role with plenty of experience, but I was intentional about observing with fresh eyes. What stood out immediately was SkyWater’s rare blend of technical depth, collaboration, and customer intimacy.
A Unique Foundry with a Powerful Portfolio
SkyWater is not a typical foundry. Our portfolio spans aerospace and defense, medical diagnostics, and quantum computing. I’ve worked across this industry for many years, and my observation is that few foundries offer this kind of variety. But what impressed me most is that the variety is backed by technical credibility. From what I’ve seen, there’s no place in our industry where the convergence of leading-edge quantum research blends seamlessly with photonics, superconducting and state of the art silicon processing at scale.
From CMOS to supercomputing to secure microelectronics, our teams include domain experts with deep expertise in the fundamental science and engineering of these enabling technologies. That diversity of expertise, and the willingness of our people to tackle hard problems head-on, is what sets SkyWater apart.
ROICs Are a Strategic Priority, Not a Side Project
If you’ve been around foundries, you know that Read-Out Integrated Circuits (ROICs) often get treated as side projects. But at SkyWater, they’re a strategic focus.
SkyWater’s investment in organizational structure, engineering expertise, and high-caliber talent show measurable results for customers who depend on ROICs for national security. A great example is our S90LN platform. We have created a team, which is made up of process development engineers, platform engineers, solutions engineers, program management and business development. Together, they’ve delivered solutions that earned exceptional customer feedback and laid the foundation for a stronger long-term roadmap in ROIC innovation. Our investments are not just commitments on paper, they are driving performance today and strengthening our position for long-term Thermal Imaging ROIC support.
In my experience, this level of purpose-built commitment is rare, and frankly, it’s part of what brought me here. When a customer’s mission depends on performance, reliability, and trust, they need a partner that prioritizes their success. That’s exactly what we do.
What Customers Really Value
I’ve also had the chance to meet with many of SkyWater’s customers across the defense, medical, and quantum sectors. Those conversations gave me a clear view into what they truly care about when choosing a foundry partner. Of course the technology matters, but what sets SkyWater apart in their view is something more fundamental. It’s how we work with them. Time and again, I heard appreciation for our responsiveness, our willingness to collaborate, and our ability to adapt when the situation needs it.
What I heard was an appreciation for the fact that we take the time to understand each customer’s unique goals and constraints. We bring a sense of urgency and ownership that’s hard to find at larger, less agile players. And we stay close to the work throughout the whole lifecycle of a program.
I know this level of attention is appreciated and needed, especially in high-stakes markets like aerospace and defense. Customers don’t just want a manufacturing service. They want a partner who listens, solves problems, and is invested in their success. That’s one of the reasons I’m excited to be part of this team.
Behind the Scenes: Engineering That Endures
One of the most exciting discoveries in these first few months has been the depth of engineering excellence behind the scenes, particularly in our Advanced Technology Services (ATS) programs.
SkyWater has deep engineering roots, and you can see it everywhere, from custom process development to figuring out how to integrate new device concepts. What struck me is how this work isn’t happening in isolation. It’s happening right alongside production, so new ideas don’t just stay in the lab, they have a path to scale. That’s not something you see everywhere.
With ATS, our engineers and device experts work together with customers, sketching out ideas, troubleshooting, and refining designs together. It’s very hands-on and collaborative, the solutions are practical, and the result is technology that meets real-world performance and reliability needs.
End Products That Change Lives
SkyWater’s work doesn’t end at the fab. The chips we help create power real world innovations, from traumatic brain injury diagnostics and disease detection to quantum computing platforms. Knowing that the work we do enables these advances is incredibly motivating, not just for me, but for the next generation of engineers joining our teams.
Learning, Adapting, Improving
Like any ambitious organization, we’re not without challenges. But what’s impressed me is our willingness to learn from the past, adapt quickly, and always seek to improve.
Setbacks happen, but the important thing here is that there’s a culture of accountability and grit. People own problems. They roll up their sleeves. They make things right. It’s that combination of humility and drive that makes me optimistic about our future.
Fab 25 Is Not a Distraction, It’s an Enabler
I’ve been asked if our Fab 25 expansion will pull focus from what makes SkyWater unique. My perspective is that it does the opposite.
Fab 25 gives us more than just added capacity, it expands what we can do. By extending our process technology down to 65nm, we open new possibilities for scaling some of our ROIC products and strengthening our long-term roadmap. In short, it builds directly on our strengths and supports the commitments we’ve already made to our customers.
A Clear Path Forward
After 90 days, I’m convinced that SkyWater is uniquely positioned to lead in this space. We have the right focus, the right team, and the right mindset to be a trusted partner for customers who demand excellence.
Earlier in my career, I saw firsthand how the right structure and mindset can transform outcomes. At the time, our development qualification process was a long, rigid cycle where the quality team came in at the very end as the “go/no-go” decision point. It was risky and too many issues surfaced late, when they were hardest and most costly to fix.
We decided to change the model. Instead of one big pass/fail moment, we built in smaller “mini-qual” checkpoints and kept the quality team engaged from day one. That shift to continuous learning and collaboration cut our schedules by more than 30%, improved quality, and, most importantly, delivered a much better experience for our customers.
It’s those lessons about the power of early collaboration, continuous learning, and shared accountability that I’m carrying with me at SkyWater. They’ll guide how I approach building teams, shaping processes, and helping us deliver on the ambitious commitments we’re making to our customers.
I’m looking forward to my next 90 days and beyond.