The Department of Commerce has awarded a total of $143 million in direct funding to three companies to boost the domestic production of critical semiconductors.
The department said Friday Corning, Edwards Vacuum and Infinera received funds amounting to $32 million, $18 million and $93 million, respectively, for the enhancement of their commercial fabrication facilities.
How the Funding Will Be Used
Corning will utilize the funding to enhance its Canton, New York manufacturing facility, boosting the production of Corning High Purity Fused Silica and EXTREME Ultra Low Expansion Glass and helping strengthen the lithography supply chain. An estimated 130 manufacturing and 175 construction jobs will be created for the project.
Edwards Vacuum will build a manufacturing facility in Genesee County, New York for the production of dry vacuum pumps. This project will potentially create 100 construction and 500 production jobs.
Infinera aims to construct a new fab in San Jose, California and an advanced test and packaging facility in Bethlehem. The investment should help boost the company’s domestic manufacturing capacity and generate 500 manufacturing jobs and 1,200 construction jobs.
The Commerce Department also amended the award received by GlobalFoundries. The additional $75 million in funds will be used to expand the company’s facility in Malta, New York.
Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said, “The semiconductors that will be manufactured in the United States are foundational to our technological and economic leadership of the 21st century.”
Wendell Weeks, Corning chairman and CEO, stated. “This investment and our continued commitment in Canton will enable us to expand the next-generation manufacturing capabilities necessary for producing critical materials for lithography tools that create the world’s most advanced microchips, reinforcing our commitment to advancing semiconductor manufacturing, technology and job creation in the United States.”
Infinera CEO David Heard added, “This funding will accelerate delivery of U.S. photonic semiconductor innovations to meet the demands of critical network infrastructure in the era of AI.”