SkyWater Technology is an American semiconductor engineering and fabrication foundry, based in Bloomington, Minnesota.[2][3] It is the only US-owned pure-play silicon foundry.[4]
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| NYSE: SKYT | |
| Industry | Semiconductor manufacturer |
| Founded | 2017 |
| Headquarters | Bloomington, Minnesota, U.S. |
Key people | Thomas Sonderman[1] |
| Products | Semiconductor Silicon chips Silicon wafer |
| Website | skywatertechnology.com |
History
editThe company was formed in 2017, when private equity firm Oxbow Industries acquired Cypress Foundry Solutions, a microelectronics fabricator that was previously a subsidiary of California-based Cypress Semiconductor Corp.[5][6]
In early 2021, SkyWater acquired an additional chip factory in Osceola, Florida,[7] repurposing the University of Central Florida NeoCity fabrication facility into a second fabrication site.[8] It expanded its facility and added 100 new jobs in 2021, partially due to funding from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.[9]
Initial public offering
editSkyWater Technology filed an initial public offering with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in March 2021.[10][11][12]
U.S. infrastructure investment
editSkyWater has been cited as an example of the infrastructure the Biden administration is investing in. On April 12, 2021, President Joe Biden held up a silicon wafer created by SkyWater as he explained that chips represents a form of infrastructure.[13][14]
On July 20, 2022, Skywater announced plans to invest 1.8 billion dollars into a manufacturing facility in West Lafayette, Indiana, but the company has since backed out of those plans due to a shortage of funding. [15] The facility is within Purdue University's Discovery Park District.[16][17]
Technology
editSkyWater produces semiconductor chips using 90-nanometer process technology on equipment designed to handle 200-millimeter wafers of silicon.[18][19] SkyWater works in the consumer, industrial, military & defense, and automotive industries.[20] SkyWater is a Department of Defense-accredited Trusted supplier, part of the DOD's efforts to secure a supply chain within the United States.[21][22]
SkyWater has collaborated with Efabless and Google to create the first open source chip manufacturing program.[23]
On August 21, 2021, SkyWater announced an expanded partnership with Rockley Photonics Holdings, focused on Rockley's health monitoring solution.[24]
References
edit- ^ https://www.eetimes.com/skywater-ceo-expands-technology-foundry-model/
- ^ Rehkamp, Patrick. "Bloomington-based SkyWater Technology files to go public". Minneapolis St Paul Business Journal.
- ^ "Semiconductor manufacturer SkyWater Technology sets terms for $75 million IPO". Renaissance Capital.
- ^ Moore, Samuel K (6 August 2018). "The Foundry at the Heart of DARPA's Plan to Let Old Fabs Beat New Ones". IEEE Spectrum.
- ^ Reilly, Mark. "SkyWater Technology finishes Bloomington HQ expansion for 'rad-hard' chips". Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journals.
- ^ Shih, Willy. "Inside SkyWater Technology's Domestic Semiconductor Foundry". Forbes.
- ^ Ramstad, Evan. "SkyWater shares rise 20% as execs explain move to expand production capacity". Star Tribune.
- ^ Reed, Charlie. "NeoCity back in business with tech firm replacing UCF". Around Osceola.
- ^ Hauser, Tom. "Walz supports federal legislation to boost computer chip manufacturing". KSTP.
- ^ Leopold, George. "SkyWater is Latest Tech IPO". EE Times.
- ^ Manners, David (26 March 2021). "SkyWater to IPO". Electronics Weekly.
- ^ "Semiconductor manufacturer SkyWater Technology files for a $75 million IPO". Nasdaq.
- ^ Aoyma, Naoatsu. "Niche chip maker SkyWater plays key role in U.S. supply strategy". The Asahi Shimbun.
- ^ Nellis, Stephen (13 April 2021). "Biden's chip dreams face reality check of supply chain complexity". Reuters.
- ^ "Original microchip plant no longer coming to West Lafayette". WLFI. April 5, 2024.
- ^ "SkyWater Technology chooses Discovery Park District at Purdue for $1.8B semiconductor fabrication facility, to create 750 jobs in 5 years".
- ^ Clark, Don; Swanson, Ana (2023-01-01). "U.S. Pours Money Into Chips, but Even Soaring Spending Has Limits". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-01-23.
- ^ Moore, Samuel K (6 August 2018). "The Foundry at the Heart of DARPA's Plan to Let Old Fabs Beat New Ones". IEEE Spectrum.
- ^ Lapedus, Mark (17 December 2020). "200mm Demand Surges". Semiconductor Engineering.
- ^ "SkyWater Technology Foundry, Inc". OxBow Industries.
- ^ Herman, Arthur. "Biden, Semiconductors, And America's Future". Forbes.
- ^ Chowdry, Amit (24 August 2021). "SkyWater Technology Shares Increase Over 10% Pre-Market: Why It Happened". Pulse 2.
- ^ Halfacree, Gareth. "Google, SkyWater Release Production Dev Kit, Offer Open Hardware Projects Free 130nm Manufacturing". Hackster.IO.
- ^ Chatterjee, Manisha. "After Announcing an Expanded Partnership, is SkyWater Technology a Buy?". Yahoo News.