Sherman opens
GlobalWafers opened its 300mm silicon wafer plant in Sherman, Texas, on May 15, 2025. Chairperson Doris Hsu announced plans for another $4 billion in investment in the United States, taking the intended total to $7.5 billion. The company expects additional Sherman phases to follow market demand.
The 142-acre campus began construction in December 2022. GlobalWafers put the initial project at $3.5 billion, reporting 1,200 construction and 180 permanent jobs. Employment could reach 650 engineering, technical and operational professionals by the end of 2028. Further investment and hiring remained plans at the opening. Manufacturing Dive
Federal award spans two states
The Department of Commerce awarded GlobalWafers America and MEMC up to $406 million in direct CHIPS funding on Dec 17, 2024. The award followed a July 17 preliminary agreement and due diligence. Payments depend on project milestones. The supported projects involved approximately $4 billion in capital expenditure across Texas and Missouri, with about 1,700 construction and 880 manufacturing jobs expected across both states. These were award-stage estimates for the combined projects. Commerce's award announcement
The federal package covers three manufacturing activities:
- GWA's Texas 300mm silicon wafers for leading-edge and memory devices.
- MEMC's Missouri silicon-on-insulator wafers for defense and aerospace applications.
- Conversion of part of an existing Sherman silicon epitaxy operation to silicon carbide epitaxy, used in high-voltage applications including electric vehicles and clean energy infrastructure.
Disbursements follow construction, technology, production and commercial milestones. Commerce monitors progress through financial and programmatic reporting under the award terms.
An earlier Missouri supply agreement
GlobalWafers and GlobalFoundries had already announced an $800 million long-term supply agreement on Jun 8, 2021. That agreement covered adding 300mm silicon-on-insulator manufacturing and expanding existing 200mm SOI production at MEMC's O'Fallon, Missouri, facility. The associated capital expansion was estimated at nearly $210 million over the following few years, a different figure from the value of the supply contract. A 300mm pilot line was then scheduled for completion in the fourth quarter of 2021. The companies' June 2021 agreement
The planned customer destinations differed by wafer diameter. GlobalFoundries' Fab 8 in Malta, New York, would receive the 300mm wafers. Fab 9 in Essex Junction, Vermont, would use the 200mm wafers for radio-frequency applications, including 5G smartphones, wireless connectivity, automotive radar and aerospace. The companies had announced closer collaboration on 300mm SOI capacity in February 2020.
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