GlobalWafers outlines US expansion plans at SEMICON Taiwan, eyes $7.5B total investment

TECHNOLOGY

GlobalWafers outlines US expansion plans at SEMICON Taiwan, eyes $7.5B total investment

The world’s third-largest silicon wafer maker is betting big on American manufacturing with a multi-phase Texas facility that could reshape semiconductor supply chains.

by
Editorial Team

Sep. 1, 2026

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Photo: ed br / Pexels

GlobalWafers is doubling down on its American footprint. Chairperson Doris Hsu used the sidelines of SEMICON Taiwan in Taipei to lay out the company’s US expansion strategy, which now envisions up to $7.5B in total domestic investment across multiple phases of development at its Sherman, Texas facility.

The Taiwan-headquartered company, ranked third globally among silicon wafer manufacturers, opened a $3.5B plant in Sherman in May 2025. That facility holds a distinction worth pausing on: it’s the first 300mm advanced wafer manufacturing plant built in the US in over two decades, and currently the only one of its kind in the country.

The Texas bet gets bigger

Phase two of the Sherman expansion was confirmed in January 2026 after customers began requesting more locally sourced capacity. The site itself can support up to six phases of development.

Beyond the initial $3.5B already deployed, the company has signaled willingness to invest an additional $4B in the US. That brings the theoretical ceiling to $7.5B.

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Hsu has indicated the additional capital depends on profitability from earlier phases and, critically, on securing long-term contracts with major customers like TSMC, Apple, and Micron.

In July 2026, Micron committed $500M to GlobalWafers alongside a 10-year supply agreement.

CHIPS Act tailwinds and supply chain logic

GlobalWafers has also secured up to $406M in CHIPS Act funding, the federal incentive program designed to pull semiconductor manufacturing back to American soil. The CHIPS and Science Act was signed into law in 2022.

The company, which acquired US-based MEMC in 2016, already had operational roots in the country. The Sherman facility has created hundreds of jobs and plugs directly into the government’s broader industrial policy goals.

GlobalWafers operates across nine countries, giving it geographic diversification that most competitors envy.

What this means for the semiconductor landscape

The market is dominated by a handful of players, with Japan’s Shin-Etsu and Sumco occupying the top two spots. GlobalWafers’ aggressive expansion in the US gives it a geographic advantage that neither Japanese rival currently matches at this scale.

Between CHIPS Act grants, direct corporate investment from partners like Micron, and GlobalWafers’ own capital, the Sherman site is attracting a significant compounding of commitments. If GlobalWafers hits profitability targets on early phases and locks in additional long-term contracts, the facility could grow into one of the most significant semiconductor manufacturing complexes in North America.

Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.