| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| NYSE: SKYT | |
| Industry | Semiconductor manufacturer |
| Founded | 2017 (2017) |
| Headquarters | Bloomington, Minnesota, U.S. |
Key people | Thomas Sonderman[1] |
| Products | Semiconductor Silicon chips Silicon wafer |
| Website | skywatertechnology.com |
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]
The 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 add 100 new jobs in 2021, partially due to funding from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.[9]
SkyWater Technology filed an initial public offering with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in March 2021.[10][11][12]
SkyWater 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]
SkyWater 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]
