Vishay to make $320M investment in UK’s largest chip factory
This investment by US firm Vishay Intertechnology at its Wales foundry is expected to generate over 500 high-value jobs and enhance production of semiconductors that play a key role in EV technology.
US tech company Vishay Intertechnology is making a significant £250 million (USD 323 million) investment at its Newport foundry in South Wales to manufacture semiconductors that will power electric vehicles in the UK and create hundreds of local jobs.
This expansion of semiconductor manufacturing in Wales is expected to generate over 500 high-value, skilled jobs in the region, with hundreds more supported indirectly through the supply chain. It is also being hailed as an important step in securing domestic semiconductor supplies critical to the UK’s automotive industry and key sectors like renewable energy and defence.
“This massive investment by Vishay and the UK Government is a huge boost for Wales’s world-leading semiconductor industry,” said Jo Stevens, Secretary of State for Wales
Vishay’s Newport plant — the UK’s largest semiconductor facility —is strategically positioned to lead the development of large-scale compound semiconductor manufacturing.
“This is an exciting moment, and the start of our plans for growth in the UK,” Roy Shoshani, COO Semiconductors and CTO for Vishay, said. “We can see through the development of the Industrial Strategy and the skilled workforce in Newport that there is a real opportunity to play to the UK’s strength in advanced semiconductors, delivering greater economic security and supporting net zero.”
The investment will enhance production of advanced Silicon Carbide semiconductors, which play a key role in EV technology, enabling faster battery charging, improved energy efficiency and extended driving ranges.
“Vishay’s investment will help secure a domestic supply of semiconductors which are vital for our world-leading automotive sector and support our clean energy industries — key growth driving sectors identified in our upcoming Industrial Strategy,” said UK Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds.
The investment is backed by the UK Government’s Automotive Transformation Fund (ATF), a key component of the country’s Industrial Strategy to strengthen the domestic semiconductor supply chain.
“This significant investment in compound semiconductors is a huge contribution to the innovation and advanced technology necessary to drive the future of UK Automotive,” said Mike Hawes, Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders Chief Executive. “British-made next-generation semiconductors will create jobs, support supply chains and enhance the UK’s strategic capabilities.”
