CEAC-2022-09-September

SkyWater Technology recently announced its plans to open a $1.8 billion state-of-the-art semiconductor manufacturing facility in Purdue University’s
Discovery Park District.
due degrees and credentials, will educate both graduate and
undergraduate students, in residence and online, enabling a
quick ramp-up of skilled talent. In late June, Purdue began
a partnership with MediaTek Inc., a leading global fabless
chipmaker, to open the company’s first semiconductor chip
design center in the Midwest, to be housed in Discovery Park
District.
development, operations engineering, maintenance and
technical support, and technicians.
The United States developed microchip technology in the
1950s, and its manufacturing output was 37 percent of the
total global output in 1990. However, as manufacturing
moved to East Asia — countries including China, Japan,
South Korea and Taiwan — the U.S. global output of semiconductor
manufacturing fell to 12 percent in 2021. The shift
could lead to problems in the digital economy if the supply
chain is disrupted.
As a solution, the U.S. Congress introduced the Creating
Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors for America
Act, or CHIPS for America Act, on June 11, 2020. It supports
the nation’s research and development, manufacturing and
supply chain security of semiconductors.
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb praised the introduction of the
CHIPS for America Act and urged Congress to fund it. He has
noted the state’s strength in advanced manufacturing, the
strategic partnership with the Naval Surface Warfare Center
Crane to assure trusted microelectronics, and a Department
of Defense initiative led by Purdue University to develop
workforce talent in the semiconductors industry.
Building the new 600,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art
semiconductor manufacturing facility, which includes 100,000
square feet of cleanroom space, will depend on SkyWater
receiving funds from the CHIPS Act. American jobs created
will focus on research and design engineering, technology
Volume 87 · Number 9 | 53
0922 issue.indd 53 8/22/22 3:27 PM