£51m Newport investment latest chapter in Wales’ compound semiconductor success story
November 2024
Vishay Intertechnology, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of discrete semiconductors and passive electronic components, has announced that it is investing £51m in Newport Wafer Fab, the UK’s largest semiconductor facility – bringing new product range capabilities and skilled job opportunities to Newport.
The investment has been supported by £5m of Welsh Government funding and is the latest in a long list of good news for the South Wales compound semiconductor cluster – which continues to attract international interest and recognition.
Other news announced by the Welsh Government includes a £2.5m Net Zero research project at Swansea University’s Centre for Semiconductor Materials. It is pioneering the reduction of building emissions for the semiconductor industry and has research agreements with industrial members such as Vishay, which counts a number of Swansea alumni amongst its executives.
Cardiff University hosted a prestigious international technical conference in October on semiconductor power devices, and Wales will welcome an inward mission by Canadian semiconductor companies in the spring.
Rebecca Evans, Cabinet Secretary for the Economy and Planning, Welsh Government, said:
“Compound semiconductors are all around us – in our homes and in our phones, our trains and our turbines. They are a vital, if miniature, piece of what makes the modern world tick, with extremely strong global growth projections. And we in Wales are increasingly a world-leading nation in their production and manufacture.
“Today that is more evident than ever, with our international reputation attracting significant inward investment, the provision and occupation of state-of-the-art facilities, clear links with R&D and well-paid opportunities for employment and apprenticeships.
“We are now, after a decade of seeding the cluster, reaping the rewards of our commitment which we will continue to drive forward.”
Roy Shoshani, Chief Technology Officer of Vishay said:
“We welcome this investment from the Welsh Government, which recognises the strategic advantage of investing in semiconductor technology. We’re excited about being part of driving the economic future of Wales. We look forward to moving ahead with our long-term investment plans for Vishay Newport.”
The news was covered by a number of media outlets in Wales:
First phase investment in Vishay plans to plough £1bn into Newport hi-tech facility – Business Live
Newport Wafer Fab: £51m invested in Newport’s semiconductor | South Wales Argus
About Vishay
Vishay manufactures one of the world’s largest portfolios of discrete semiconductors and passive electronic components that are essential to innovative designs in the automotive, industrial, computing, consumer, telecommunications, military, aerospace, and medical markets. Serving customers worldwide, Vishay is The DNA of tech®. Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. is a Fortune 1,000 Company listed on the NYSE (VSH). More on Vishay at www.Vishay.com.
Forward Looking Statement
Statements contained herein that relate to the Company’s future performance, including capital investment, capacity expansion and cash flow generation, are forward-looking statements within the safe harbor provisions of Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words and expressions such as “will,” “expect,” “focus,” “intend,” “committed, “goal” or other similar words or expressions often identify forward-looking statements. Such statements are based on current expectations only, and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions, many of which are beyond our control. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results, performance, or achievements may vary materially from those anticipated, estimated or projected. Among the factors that could cause such material variations include: that the fab will not be integrated successfully into the Company’s overall business; that the expected benefits of the acquisition may not be realized; that the fab’s standards, procedures and controls will not be brought into conformance within the Company’s operation; difficulties in transitioning and retaining fab employees following the acquisition; difficulties in consolidating facilities and transferring processes and know-how; the diversion of our management’s attention from the management of our current business; risks of foreign operations, including excessive operation costs, labor shortages, changes in tax rates; changes in foreign currency exchange rates; uncertainty related to the effects of changes in foreign currency exchange rates; difficulties in new product development; changes in U.S. or foreign trade regulations and tariffs, and uncertainty regarding the same; changes in applicable domestic and foreign tax regulations, and uncertainty regarding the same; and other factors that are set forth in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our annual reports on Form 10-K and our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
The DNA of tech® is a trademark of Vishay Intertechnology.
