YST Semiconductor Technology Corporation (YST) has announced a $100 million investment in a new manufacturing facility at the Vancouver Innovation Center, located in east Vancouver, Clark County, Washington.
According to the Columbia River Economic Development Council (CREDC), YST has leased more than 150,000 square feet for the initial phase of development. The facility is expected to employ a 100-person workforce, adding to a region that already houses over half of Washington state’s semiconductor workforce.
Clint Hendricks, Vice President of Business Development at CREDC and Project Lead, welcomed the move, highlighting the city’s ambitions to further expand its computers and electronics sector.
YST’s expansion positions the company closer to its U.S. customer base amid ongoing uncertainty surrounding the U.S. CHIPS and Science Act and the impact of global trade tensions on the semiconductor and electronics industries.
In a March address to the U.S. Congress, former President Donald Trump sharply criticized the CHIPS Act—which allocates $52.67 billion to bolster domestic semiconductor manufacturing—calling it “a horrible, horrible thing.”
Industry experts, including Lita Shon-Roy, CEO of semiconductor advisory firm TechCET, have cautioned that the CHIPS Act could undergo significant revisions as lawmakers attempt to manage budget pressures and address trade imbalances.
“There haven’t been any specifics about changes to the CHIPS Act yet, but there have been some public warnings,” Shon-Roy told gasworld. “And companies with a significant stake in the game have been lobbying to secure their CHIPS Act funding.”