Texas Governor Greg Abbott has announced a $2.4 million grant from the Texas Semiconductor Innovation Fund (TSIF) to Dongjin Semichem Texas, Inc. (DST). As reported by the Office of the Governor, the fund aims to further secure the U.S. semiconductor supply chain, a move designed to create 24 new jobs and elicit more than $110 million in capital investment from DST for their Killeen facility.

"Texas is where the chip was born and where the future of the semiconductor industry is building," Governor Abbott stated, in his commitment to continue to compete aggressively for the industry's presence in Texas. The grant is part of the wider Texas CHIPS Act established in 2023, which also formed the Texas Semiconductor Innovation Consortium (TSIC). Dr. David Daniel, TSIC Executive Committee Chair, remarked that this grant will help further Texas' leadership in the semiconductor industry and generate new employment opportunities as per the Office of the Governor.

Dr. Chun Hyuk Lee, Vice-Chairman and CEO of Dongjin Semichem Co., Ltd. and Director of DST, expressed his company's gratitude for the grant, which is set to advance their manufacturing of ultra-high-purity photoresist thinner, a substance central to advanced semiconductor photolithography processes. The Killeen facility, boasting six buildings, is poised to replace foreign sources with domestically produced specialty thinners in Texas, a first for the state, reinforcing the American semiconductor supply chain. This sentiment was echoed by Senator Pete Flores, who praised the role of the industry as the backbone of innovation in the modern economy.

"This expansion means great things for businesses in the Lone Star State," said Representative Brad Buckley, acknowledging the potential economic growth for West Bell County and Texas overall. The TSIF initiative promises to bolster Texas' status not only in semiconductor manufacturing but also in research and development, leveraging the state's expertise and resources to maintain a leading position in this high-tech sector. The details about the TSIF and its background can be viewed on the Office of the Governor's website.