The Department of Commerce will provide Hemlock Semiconductor, a producer of hyper-pure polysilicon, with up to $325 million in CHIPS and Science Act funding under a new partnership intended to boost the production of semiconductor-grade polysilicon in the United States.
The two organizations signed a non-binding preliminary memorandum of terms to fund the construction of a new manufacturing facility on the HSC’s Hemlock, Michigan campus for producing and purifying hyper-pure semiconductor-grade polysilicon, the Commerce Department said Tuesday.
According to Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, having a reliable source of polysilicon will help improve the economy and national security.
“We are proposing to invest up and down the semiconductor supply chain and support domestic materials suppliers, like HSC, that are helping drive America’s semiconductor manufacturing resurgence and technological leadership – and creating quality jobs all over the country in the process,” she said.
This investment is expected to create around 180 manufacturing jobs and more than 1,000 construction jobs while strengthening the U.S. polysilicon supply chain. A total of $5 million will be used to train the HSC’s production and construction workforce. The company will work alongside Delta College and Saginaw Career Complex to design programs offering semiconductor training and employment opportunities to individuals in the area.
“Bolstered by the CHIPS Act, we are planning for a once-in-a-generation investment in advanced technologies to continue serving as a top polysilicon supplier to the leading-edge semiconductor market,” AB Ghosh, chairman and CEO of HSC.