Quartz and ceramic component manufacturer LTD Material LLC was awarded $1 million in state semiconductor investment funds to support its $25 million expansion in Austin, Gov. Greg Abbott announced Jan. 29.
The overview
LTD Material has two locations in the city, and in 2023 broke ground on a new 88,000-square-foot manufacturing and research facility next to its existing fabrication plant. The site will increase the company’s capacity to produce high-purity quartz parts deemed “essential” for semiconductor manufacturing and wafer fabrication, according to Abbott’s office.
“Texas leads America’s resurgence in semiconductor manufacturing,” Abbott said in a statement. “With this $25 million capital investment, LTD Material is helping to expand an already robust supply chain that is essential to the growing semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem in Texas.”
The details
The $1 million award is provided through the Texas Semiconductor Innovation Fund, or TSIF, established under the 2023 Texas CHIPS Act enacted to incentivize semiconductor research and manufacturing statewide. The TSIF and other semiconductor innovation programs are administered by the Texas CHIPS Office, a division of Abbott’s economic development office.
The new LTD Material facility is expected to create 40 jobs, and the company will also offer specialized machinist and glass blower training. State Sen. Sarah Eckhardt, D-Austin, shared her excitement for the investment and local job creation in Austin, which she called the “beating heart of our state’s semiconductor industry.”
“The TSIF grant allows LTD Material to meet the surging demand from U.S. semiconductor foundries while reducing dependence on foreign quartz suppliers, a key strategy to the government’s focus on strengthening overall national security,” CEO Kevin Nguyen said in a statement. “Since the beginning, LTD Material chose the state of Texas for its headquarters exactly due to this type of civil leadership in innovation, workforce development, and economic competitiveness.”
Other projects
The LTD Material expansion in Austin is the latest TSIF recipient in Central Texas, where millions of dollars have been directed under the state CHIPS Act since 2023.
Just this month, nearly $19 million in TSIF grants were directed to a Round Rock component manufacturer and Williamson County technician training center. Other recent awardees include institutions like Austin Community College and The University of Texas at Austin, as well as companies like Samsung and Yerico Manufacturing.