Chinese semiconductor manufacturer YST Semiconductor Technology Corporation (YST) is set to invest $100m in a new facility at the Vancouver Innovation Centre in east Vancouver in Clark County, Washington.
The Columbia River Economic Development Council (CREDC) confirmed that YST has leased more than 150,000 sq ft of space for the first phase of development.
YST will employ a 100-person workforce at the facility. Clark County currently employs over half of the semiconductor workers in the state of Washington.
Clint Hendricks, Project Lead and Vice-President of Business Development for CREDC, welcomed YST’s announcement, noting that the city wants to grow its computers and electronics sector.
This move brings YST closer to its US customers at a time of uncertainty surrounding the US CHIPS and Science Act, as well as tariffs affecting international business, particularly in the semiconductor and electronics markets.
In an address to US Congress in early March, US President Donald Trump harshly criticised the US CHIPS Act, which authorises $52.67bn to build semiconductor capacity, calling it “a horrible, horrible thing.”
Experts like Lita Shon-Roy, CEO of the semiconductors advisory TechCET, have warned that the legislation will likely be changed to some extent, particularly as the US government seeks to balance its budget while dealing with issues like trade imbalances and tariffs.
“There haven’t been any specifics about changes to the CHIPS Act yet, but there have been some public warnings. And companies with a significant stake in the game have been lobbying to [try to] secure their CHIPS Act funding,” she told gasworld recently.
