Romney Welcomes Historic Investment for Semiconductor Manufacturing in Utah

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) today applauded an agreement between Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) and the U.S. Department of Commerce to use up to $1.6 billion in funding from the CHIPS and Science Act in support of three 300mm semiconductor wafer fabrication plants (fab) already under construction—including its fab in Utah’s Silicon Slopes. In February 2023, TI announced it had selected Lehi, Utah, as the site of its next fab—bringing an $11 billion investment to the state. These investments were made possible by the Romney-sponsored CHIPS and Science Act—landmark legislation to advance and solidify the United States’ leadership in scientific and technological innovation through increased investments in the discovery, creation, and manufacturing of technology critical to U.S. national security and economic competitiveness.

“This proposed CHIPS funding will further support Texas Instruments’ investment in its new semiconductor fab in Lehi —and enhance Utah’s vital role in our national defense and economic success,” said Senator Romney. “I was an original sponsor of the CHIPS and Science Act—which made today’s announcement possible—because in order to compete with China on the world stage, we must continue to promote innovation, foster scientific talent, and expand research here at home. Texas Instruments’ expanded operations will strengthen the United States’ manufacturing capabilities to help break our country’s dependence on China for microchips.”

“Utah is thrilled that Texas Instruments is expanding its manufacturing presence in the Silicon Slopes, furthering the impact Utahns have on critical semiconductor technology,” said Utah Governor Spencer Cox. “This investment in semiconductor manufacturing not only creates more jobs, but also brings supply chains back to the United States.”

“The historic CHIPS Act is enabling more semiconductor manufacturing capacity in the U.S., making the semiconductor ecosystem stronger and more resilient,” said Haviv Ilan, president and CEO of Texas Instruments. “Our investments further strengthen our competitive advantage in manufacturing and technology as we expand our 300mm manufacturing operations in the U.S. With plans to grow our internal manufacturing to more than 95% by 2030, we’re building geopolitically dependable, 300mm capacity at scale to provide the analog and embedded processing chips our customers will need for years to come.”

“With this proposed investment from the Biden-Harris Administration in TI, a global leader of production for current-generation and mature-node chips, we would help secure the supply chain for these foundational semiconductors that are used in every sector of the U.S. economy, and create tens of thousands of jobs in Texas and Utah,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “The CHIPS for America program will supercharge American technology and innovation and make our country more secure – and TI is expected to be an important part of the success of the Biden-Harris Administration’s work to revitalize semiconductor manufacturing and development in the U.S.”

Background:

In February 2023, Texas Instruments (TI) announced a historic $11 billion investment to create a second 300mm semiconductor wafer fabrication plant (fab) in Lehi, Utah. This Silicon Slopes fab is anticipated to produce tens of millions of 28nm – 65nm analog and embedded processing chips every day. TI broke ground on this fab in November 2023.

As the top Republican on the Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia, Senator Romney has led multiple efforts to improve U.S. strategy to better compete with and counter China’s influence. In April 2021, Romney joined Senators Young and Schumer in introducing the bipartisan Endless Frontier Act—legislation to advance and solidify the United States’ leadership in scientific and technological innovation through increased investments in the discovery, creation, and manufacturing of technology critical to U.S. national security and economic competitiveness.

Romney offered several amendments to this landmark legislation when it came to the Senate floor to further counter the China threat. Several of these amendments—including a provision to direct the U.S. Trade Representative to enter negotiations with our allies to stop the importation of goods made with stolen intellectual property into the U.S. and allied countries—were included in the final Endless Frontier Act that passed the Senate in June 2021. This legislation would eventually become the CHIPS and Science Act, which was signed into law in August 2022.