United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC), a global semiconductor foundry, has officially opened its new fab facility in Singapore.
A greenfield expansion adjacent to UMC’s existing fab in the Pasir Ris
Wafer Fab Park, the new facility spans two phases. Up to US$5 B will be
invested to bring the first phase to full capacity of 30,000 wafers per
month, with room for further investment in a second phase expansion in
the future.
The new facility is equipped for manufacturing with UMC’s 22 nm and 28 nm solutions – the most advanced foundry processes currently in Singapore’s semiconductor sector – for global customers’ products including premium smartphone display chips, power-efficient memory chips for the Internet of Things (IoT), devices, and next-generation connectivity chips.
The expansion is expected to create approximately 700 jobs locally over the next few years, including process and equipment engineers as well as research and development engineers.
 |
| Source: UMC. Deputy PM and Minister for Trade and Industry of Singapore Gan Kim Yong (left) with SC Chien, UMC President (right). |
“This new state-of-the-art facility in Singapore signals a new phase of growth for UMC. It enhances our ability to meet future chip demand, driven by continuous innovations in connectivity, automotive, and AI,” said SC Chien, President of UMC.
“The unique geography of Singapore also makes the new facility well placed to support our customers in strengthening supply chain resilience. This fab expansion closely aligns with the Singapore government’s vision to become a leading advanced manufacturing hub, and we are deeply grateful for their support.”
In his welcome speech Chien, who is also UMC's Chief Sustainability Officer, shared that the new facility is 1.6x the size of UMC's current fab, with 49,000 sq m of clean room space across two phases.
"The first phase is already starting pilot runs and will ramp up to volume production in 2026. Once fully operational, this expansion will boost our Singapore capacity to over 1 million wafers per year, helping us meet growing demand for chips in everything from smartphones to cars to data centres," he said.
Chien further shared that Singapore is home to UMC’s largest R&D team outside Taiwan. "Our collaborations with A*STAR and IME have strengthened our technology capabilities, allowing us to bring new solutions to market faster," he said.
"Over the next few years, we expect to create around 700 new jobs. Following our MoU with Ngee Ann Polytechnic last October, we are eager to deepen partnerships with NUS, NTU, and other institutions to nurture the next generation of engineers. We also appreciate the work SSIA and SEMI do to support our industry, and we look forward to more collaboration in driving innovation and sustainability in Singapore’s semiconductor sector."
“We welcome UMC’s expansion in Singapore. This new fab introduces new leading edge specialty semiconductor capabilities and production capacity that will enhance Singapore’s competitiveness as a critical node in the global semiconductor supply chain. This significant investment underscores our longstanding partnership with UMC, and we look forward to deepening our collaboration to strengthen Singapore’s semiconductor ecosystem,” said Jermaine Loy, MD of the Singapore Economic Development Board.
The new facility has obtained the Green Mark GoldPlus certification from Singapore’s Building and Construction Authority. A standard part of all UMC’s new fab designs to align with UMC’s goal to be 100% powered by renewable energy by 2050, the new facility will be installed with 17,949 sq m of solar panels on its rooftop. Between 2018 and 2023, UMC Singapore cut direct emissions by 76%.
In addition to the manufacturing site, the expansion also includes a brand-new office building, a full-sized multipurpose sports hall, and other amenities for employees and community members.
*IME stands for the Institute of Microelectronics, and SSIA for the Singapore Semiconductor Industry Association.
No comments:
Post a Comment