Tempe, Arizona — best known as the home of Arizona State University — is quickly becoming a key location in the global semiconductor industry. While nearby cities like Chandler and Phoenix often grab headlines, Tempe quietly hosts several companies and research centers that are critical to the design, packaging and innovation of microchips used in everything from smartphones to electric cars.
Leading the charge is Amkor Technology, Inc., which has its global headquarters in Tempe. Amkor is one of the largest companies in the world that helps tech giants finish and test their computer chips after they’ve been manufactured. In simple terms, Amkor takes raw chips and prepares them to be used in real-world devices like laptops, cars and data centers.
Another major player is Versum Materials, Inc., now part of Merck Group. Versum makes high-purity chemicals and materials that chipmakers need to build their products layer by layer. These materials help create the incredibly small and precise features that make chips powerful and efficient.
Tempe is also home to Advotech, a company that supports chip manufacturing by building prototypes and assembling tiny electronic parts. It helps turn chip designs into working models and test them, often supporting companies in fast-paced industries like aerospace and defense.
What makes Tempe even more interesting is the role of Arizona State University. ASU has partnered with Applied Materials to open the Materials-to-Fab (MTF) Center, a $270-million facility where researchers can experiment with new ways to build chips before they are produced on a large scale. This is one of the few places in the U.S. where such hands-on innovation is happening.
ASU has also been chosen to host one of only three new National Semiconductor Technology Center (NSTC) sites in the country. This new lab will focus on creating advanced chip packaging, an area that’s becoming more important as companies try to make smaller, faster and more efficient chips.
Tempe may not be the first name that comes to mind when thinking of the chip industry, but its combination of corporate headquarters, high-tech materials, small business support and cutting-edge university research makes it a critical — and growing — hub for semiconductor innovation in the U.S.
