Thanks to a purposeful focus and our vaunted collaborative environment among economic development organizations that include Arizona Commerce Authority, Greater Phoenix Economic Council and the City of Phoenix Community and Economic Development Department, Arizona stands in the national spotlight as the epicenter of America’s semiconductor resurgence.
ACA reports that Arizona leads the nation in semiconductor investment, supplier expansions and jobs. Since 2020, Arizona has won more than 40 semiconductor expansions, representing more than $102 billion in capital investment and more than 15,700 direct industry jobs. These projects span the entire ecosystem, including manufacturing, advanced packaging, research and development, equipment, supply chain, and workforce development.
Arizona rose to the No. 1 ranking in Business Facilities magazine 2024 state semiconductor rankings, receiving praise for its “(i)nnovations, workforce development, and announced investments” in the industry. With a growing focus on workforce development, Harvard Business Review recently highlighted Arizona’s pioneering talent training programs — such as the Semiconductor Technician Quick Start program, a 10-day, 40-hour boot camp taught by industry professionals. Since its launch in 2022, the program has trained and certified more than 900 students for careers in the semiconductor industry.
And last year, Governor Hobbs announced new actions to strengthen Arizona’s premier semiconductor talent pipeline. These include the first Registered Apprenticeship Program in Arizona supporting the semiconductor industry and a Future48 Workforce Accelerator, presented in partnership with Maricopa Community Colleges, focused on meeting the needs of Arizona’s rapidly growing semiconductor industry. The Future48 Workforce Accelerators represent innovative collaborations with Arizona’s community colleges to provide customized, industry-led training in Arizona’s fast-growing advanced manufacturing sectors.
Investments across the Semiconductor Ecosystem
R&D and Equipment
$300+ million by ASM to expand operations in Scottsdale, with a focus on technology development, research, design and engineering capabilities, and pilot manufacturing capacities
$270 million to create a world-class shared research, development and prototyping facility, and the Materials-to-Fab Center, through an alliance between Arizona State University and Applied Materials, Inc.
$50+ million by Pentagon Technologies to build semiconductor equipment cleaning facility In Mesa.
$28 million by EMD Electronics to expand capacities of its delivery systems & services business in Chandler.
Materials Suppliers
$2 billion by Amkor Technology to build an advanced packaging and test facility in Peoria.
$300 million investment by Chang Chung Arizona to build its first U.S. manufacturing facility, in Casa Grande, to produce electronic-grade hydrogen peroxide, tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH)-based developers, electronic-grade solution and plating solution.
$100 million investment by Sunlit Chemical to build, over two phases, a 900,000-square-foot chemical facility in Phoenix that will produce hydrofluoric acid and other high purity grade essential chemicals vital for semiconductor fabrication.
Manufacturing Operations
Intel – See “CHIPS Act in Arizona,” below
TSMC – See “CHIPS Act in Arizona,” below
CHIPS Act in Arizona
$8.5 billion: CHIPS Act funding announced in March 2024 to support Intel’s $34.5 billion investment in Arizona to date, supporting an additional 3,000 new jobs.
$6.6 billion: CHIPS Act funding announced in April 2024 for TSMC. This, along with TSMC’s plans to build a third semiconductor fab at TSMC Arizona, brings TSMC’s total investment in Arizona to more than $65 billion and creates more than 6,000 total jobs.
Advancing Semiconductor Innovation
The ACA’s investment in workforce development to maximize the support of R&D opportunities under the CHIPS Act includes:
$47.5 million: to ASU, enabling the first-of-its-kind Applied Materials/ASU Materials to Fab Laboratory at ASU’s MacroTechnology Works facility and supporting the development of advanced packaging and GaN capabilities.
$35.5 million: to the University of Arizona, enabling a major expansion of the university’s Micro/Nano Fabrication Center and advancing R&D and industry partnerships. The partnership includes a collaboration with Pima Community College and Central Arizona College to advance training opportunities.
$13 million: to Northern Arizona University to launch the Microelectronics Metrology certificate program, training center, and research laboratory.
$4 million: to establish Registered Apprenticeship Programs for semiconductor technicians.
