SkyWater Technology
| SkyWater Technology, Inc. | |
|---|---|
 SkyWater building | |
| Type | Public |
| Nasdaq: SKYT | |
| Industry | Semiconductor manufacturer |
| Founded | 2017 |
| Headquarters | Bloomington, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Key people | Thomas Sonderman[1] |
| Products | Semiconductor Silicon chips Silicon wafer |
| Website | skywatertechnology.com |
SkyWater Technology, Inc. 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]
History
[edit]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 added 100 new jobs in 2021, partially due to funding from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.[9] SkyWater Technology acquired Infineon Technologies' 200mm semiconductor fab in Austin, Texas on June 30, 2025, adding approximately 1,000 employees to SkyWater's workforce. [10]
Initial public offering
[edit]SkyWater Technology filed an initial public offering with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in March 2021.[11][12][13]
U.S. infrastructure investment
[edit]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 while saying chips represents a form of infrastructure.[14][15]
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. [16] The facility is within Purdue University's Discovery Park District.[17][18]
Acquisition
[edit]On January 26, 2026, quantum computing company IonQ agreed to buy Skywater for $1.8 billion.[19] On July 31, 2026, the acquisition was approved.[20]
Technology
[edit]SkyWater produces semiconductor chips using 90-nanometer and 130-nanometer[21] process technology on equipment designed to handle 200-millimeter wafers of silicon.[22][23] SkyWater works in the consumer, industrial, military & defense, and automotive industries.[24] SkyWater is a Department of Defense-accredited Trusted supplier, part of the DOD's efforts to secure a supply chain within the United States.[25][26]
In 2020, SkyWater collaborated with Efabless and Google to create the first open source chip manufacturing program.[27] SkyWater's 130 nm process design kit has been made available under the Apache License.[28]
On August 21, 2021, SkyWater announced an expanded partnership with Rockley Photonics Holdings, focused on Rockley's health monitoring solution.[29]
In 2023, SkyWater partnered with Israeli semiconductor IP company Weebit Nano to offer resistive random-access memory (ReRAM) on their 130 nm process.[30]
References
[edit]- ↑ https://www.eetimes.com/skywater-ceo-expands-technology-foundry-model/
- ↑ Rehkamp, Patrick. "Bloomington-based SkyWater Technology files to go public". Minneapolis St Paul Business Journal.
- ↑ "Semiconductor manufacturer SkyWater Technology sets terms for $75 million IPO". Renaissance Capital.
- ↑ Moore, Samuel K (6 August 2018). "The Foundry at the Heart of DARPA's Plan to Let Old Fabs Beat New Ones". IEEE Spectrum.
- ↑ Reilly, Mark. "SkyWater Technology finishes Bloomington HQ expansion for 'rad-hard' chips". Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journals.
- ↑ Shih, Willy. "Inside SkyWater Technology's Domestic Semiconductor Foundry". Forbes.
- ↑ Ramstad, Evan. "SkyWater shares rise 20% as execs explain move to expand production capacity". Star Tribune.
- ↑ Reed, Charlie. "NeoCity back in business with tech firm replacing UCF". Around Osceola.
- ↑ Hauser, Tom. "Walz supports federal legislation to boost computer chip manufacturing". KSTP.
- ↑ "SkyWater Completes Acquisition of Fab 25". SkyWater Technology. 2024-12-31. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
- ↑ Leopold, George. "SkyWater is Latest Tech IPO". EE Times.
- ↑ Manners, David (26 March 2021). "SkyWater to IPO". Electronics Weekly.
- ↑ "Semiconductor manufacturer SkyWater Technology files for a $75 million IPO". Nasdaq.
- ↑ Aoyma, Naoatsu. "Niche chip maker SkyWater plays key role in U.S. supply strategy". The Asahi Shimbun.
- ↑ Nellis, Stephen (13 April 2021). "Biden's chip dreams face reality check of supply chain complexity". Reuters.
- ↑ "Original microchip plant no longer coming to West Lafayette". WLFI. April 5, 2024.
- ↑ "SkyWater Technology chooses Discovery Park District at Purdue for $1.8B semiconductor fabrication facility, to create 750 jobs in 5 years".
- ↑ Clark, Don; Swanson, Ana (2023-01-01). "U.S. Pours Money Into Chips, but Even Soaring Spending Has Limits". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-01-23.
- ↑ Thomas, Lauren (2026-01-26). "Quantum-Computing Company IonQ to Buy Chip Maker SkyWater for $1.8 Billion". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2026-01-30.
- ↑ Godoy, Jody (31 July 2026). "FTC approves IonQ acquisition of SkyWater semiconductor foundry". Reuters. Retrieved 31 July 2026.
- ↑ Marini, Becky (2023-11-12). "SKY's the Limit with the SKY130 Open-Source PDK". Skywater Technology. Retrieved 2026-07-10.
- ↑ Moore, Samuel K (6 August 2018). "The Foundry at the Heart of DARPA's Plan to Let Old Fabs Beat New Ones". IEEE Spectrum.
- ↑ Lapedus, Mark (17 December 2020). "200mm Demand Surges". Semiconductor Engineering.
- ↑ "SkyWater Technology Foundry, Inc". OxBow Industries.
- ↑ Herman, Arthur. "Biden, Semiconductors, And America's Future". Forbes.
- ↑ Chowdry, Amit (24 August 2021). "SkyWater Technology Shares Increase Over 10% Pre-Market: Why It Happened". Pulse 2.
- ↑ Halfacree, Gareth. "Google, SkyWater Release Production Dev Kit, Offer Open Hardware Projects Free 130nm Manufacturing". Hackster.IO.
- ↑ google/skywater-pdk, Google, 2026-07-09, retrieved 2026-07-10
- ↑ Chatterjee, Manisha. "After Announcing an Expanded Partnership, is SkyWater Technology a Buy?". Yahoo News.
- ↑ Marini, Becky (2023-03-07). "Weebit Nano ReRAM IP now available in SkyWater Technology's S130 process". Skywater Technology. Retrieved 2026-07-10.
