FUNDING BOOST FOR CHIPS
Last week, Amkor Technologies announced the groundbreaking of its new semiconductor advanced packaging and test campus in Arizona, which also brought news of an increased project investment into the Peoria Innovation Core site. The company plans to introduce additional cleanroom space and another greenfield packaging and test facility, increasing the original investment by $5 billion. The $7 billion project will be constructed in two phases, with production at the first manufacturing facility slated to begin by early 2028. “We’re building a facility to meet our customers’ most advanced needs that will help shape the future of semiconductor manufacturing in the United States,” said Amkor President and CEO Giel Rutten. “Arizona offers the right mix of talent, infrastructure and industry presence, and we’re proud to deepen our roots here.” The site will offer 750,000 sq. ft. of cleanroom space and its greenfield facilities will support advanced packaging capabilities for customers including Apple and NVIDIA. At full completion, Amkor will create up to 3,000 jobs in the region.
Rendering courtesy of Echelon
SIGHTS SET ON EUROPE
As Dublin-based Echelon aims to scale its European presence, the company has announced an up to $3.1 billion data center campus outside of Milan, Italy. The company will construct its project, LIN10, on a recently acquired 37-acre site, which is set to become one of the largest data center developments in the country. This new investment is a part of Echelon’s greater goal of adding an addition 1.5 gigawatts of capacity to its portfolio by 2030, following news of its new joint venture data center development in Spain with energy company Iberdrola. “LIN10 has in place grid power, scale and flexibility, which makes it one of the most attractive projects in Europe. It is ready to build and offers exceptional opportunities for hyperscale operators,” said Echelon CEO Niall Molloy. “We expect to start construction imminently and have the facility operational in 18 to 24 months. Everyone at Echelon is delighted to have secured our first development site in continental Europe.” The site will carry an electrical capacity of 250 megavolt-amperes, supported by an on-site substation.
Photo courtesy of AstraZeneca
INVESTMENT BACKS U.S. MEDICINE SUPPLY
Global pharmaceutical manufacturer AstraZeneca has announced an additional $500 million dose of investment into its $4 billion central Virginia production facility, first announced in July. This investment boost will enable the company to expand production to include its antibody drug conjugate cancer portfolio, in addition to manufacturing drug substances for weight management and metabolic products such as an oral GLP-1. AstraZeneca officially broke ground last week on the project in Albemarle County at the Rivanna Futures site, ushering an estimated 3,000 construction-related jobs into the region. “With our $4.5 billion investment in Virginia, the largest in AstraZeneca’s history, we are not only building a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility, but also driving life sciences innovation and economic growth,” said AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot. “This new facility will create thousands of jobs and strengthen America’s national security and health sovereignty.” Manufacturing operations are anticipated to create 600 direct jobs begin before then end of 2030.
Reports compiled and written by Alexis Elmore
