Source: Global Semiconductor Watch Original author: Niki

In recent years, the global semiconductor market competition has entered a white-hot stage, in the complex international environment situation, South Korea, the United States, Japan, Europe and other chip subsidy measures have been adopted to strengthen the development of local semiconductor industry.

In order to revive semiconductor production, the United States formally passed the Chip and Science Act in 2022, which includes providing about $52.7 billion in financial support to the semiconductor industry and providing investment tax credits worth $24 billion for enterprises.

Semiconductor manufacturers to get off the bus?

Since December 2023, a number of semiconductor manufacturers have received subsidies from the U.S. government through the Chip and Manufacturing Act, and preliminary statistics have reached tens of billions of dollars in subsidies. These include Intel ($8.5 billion), Micron ($6.14 billion), Samsung ($6.4 billion), TSMC ($6.6 billion), GF ($1.5 billion), and Microchip Technology ($162 million).

From the perspective of the above manufacturers, the early subsidies in the semiconductor field of the United States are mainly concentrated in the semiconductor chip manufacturing industry.

However, due to limited funding and the large number of applications, the CHIPS Program Office has previously announced that it plans to close grant applications for semiconductor manufacturing plants "until further notice."

The latest news is that another semiconductor manufacturer has recently announced that it has won chip subsidies from the United States, and this time it is targeting the field of semiconductor materials.

Entegris received a $75 million subsidy

On June 26, local time, the U.S. Department of Commerce and semiconductor materials manufacturer Entegris jointly announced that the latter will receive $75 million in chip subsidies from the U.S. government.

Entegris has signed a non-binding Preliminary Terms Memorandum (PMT) with the U.S. Department of Commerce, which will provide Entegris with up to $75 million in direct funding under the Chip and Science Act.

The funding will support the development of a state-of-the-art facility at its Colorado Springs facility to support the company's Advanced Materials Handling (AMH) and Micropollution control (MC) divisions, designed to produce products critical to the future of semiconductor manufacturing in the United States.

The plant, which is scheduled to begin initial commercial operations in 2025, will be built in multiple phases: the first phase will support the production of the forward-open wafer transfer box FOUP (currently manufactured entirely abroad) and liquid filtration membranes. The second phase will support the production of advanced liquid filters, purifiers and fluid handling solutions.

According to reports, the front-open wafer transfer box is an important product for transporting and protecting silicon wafers in the semiconductor manufacturing process. According to the press release of the US Department of Commerce, Entegris mainly supplies chip manufacturers such as Intel, TSMC, Micron and Gramchip, and occupies an important position in the global semiconductor industry chain.