In a signal of the Phoenix metro’s growing presence in the automotive and semiconductor industries, more than 60 companies in those sectors — mostly from Taiwan and Singapore as well as Japan, New Zealand, Switzerland and Ireland — converged in the Valley in the past week to learn about expansion opportunities.
Intel Corp.’s Ocotillo campus in Chandler was buzzing with activity Wednesday as construction workers transported materials and cranes hoisted steel trusses onto buildings that will soon become the company’s newest semiconductor factories. U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly was onsite to view construction progress of the two factories — Fab 52 and Fab 62 — a $20 billion project that broke ground in 2021 and is expected to spur creation of more than 3,000 high-paying tech jobs.
Intel Corp. (Nasdaq: INTC) named a new head of a cornerstone business unit in CEO Pat Gelsinger’s revitalization plan for the company. The chipmaker on Tuesday tapped Stuart Pann as senior vice president and general manager for Intel Foundry Services, reporting to Gelsinger.
Two Arizona State University faculty members were selected to lead a regional proposal that will advance microelectronics research, development, education, and training in the Southwest. ASU President Michael Crow appointed Sally Morton, executive vice president of ASU’s Knowledge Enterprise, and Kyle Squires, dean of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, to lead a team of faculty, staff and strategic partners to establish the Microelectronics Commons, a national network funded by the CHIPs and Science Act of 2022.
Any homeowner will say it’s great to get some help when the time comes to move in and start living the American dream. But when the president, governor and mayor along with members of Congress and industry titans show up to help turn on the lights in your new digs, what do you do? Celebrate, of course.
On the heels of media reports that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. was considering expanding in Arizona, the company confirmed Tuesday that it will build a second fab in north Phoenix to produce 3-nanometer chips by 2026 and significantly increase its investment in the state. To mark a significant milestone in Phoenix, TSMC held a tool-in ceremony on Tuesday for the arrival of its first batch of production equipment at the Arizona fab, where President Joe Biden, TSMC’s founder Morris Chang, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Micron Technology CEO Sanjay Mehrotra and numerous industry and elected officials were in attendance.
Arizona State University will be working with higher education institutions in Mexico, along with microelectronics industry partners, to boost the production of semiconductors in North America and address a crucial national security issue. Recently, ASU President Michael Crow signed a memorandum of understanding with Esteban Moctezuma Barragán, the Mexican ambassador to the U.S., to seal the partnership.
Following several years of supply chain disruption and uncertainty, engineers are strengthening their reliance on strategic relationships with partners, such as distributors, as they seek to mitigate the complexities of the global components market. The second annual Avnet Insights survey, which keeps a pulse on trends and market forces amid the electronics and components industry, found that engineers and product designers are seeking opportunities to capitalize on the power of partnership to get products to market.
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