SkyWater Technology
SkyWater Technology is a U.S.-owned semiconductor engineering and specialty foundry company serving commercial, industrial, automotive, defense, and emerging technology customers.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
SkyWater Technology is an American semiconductor engineering and fabrication foundry headquartered in Bloomington, Minnesota. The company operates as a specialty foundry rather than as a conventional merchant chip brand: it helps customers design, qualify, and manufacture integrated circuits and other microelectronic devices, often for applications that require customization, long product lifecycles, domestic production, or specialized process technology. The business was formed in 2017 when private-equity firm Oxbow Industries acquired Cypress Foundry Solutions from Cypress Semiconductor. That transaction created an independent foundry centered on the former Cypress manufacturing operation in Minnesota. SkyWater subsequently developed a strategic identity around being a U.S.-owned pure-play foundry, a positioning that distinguishes it from large Asian foundries and from U.S. semiconductor companies that primarily design chips but outsource production. SkyWater's manufacturing portfolio has included 200-millimeter wafer production using mature process technologies, notably 130-nanometer and 90-nanometer processes. Although these nodes are older than leading-edge smartphone and server technologies, mature-node manufacturing remains important for automotive electronics, industrial controls, sensors, defense systems, aerospace applications, medical and health-monitoring devices, and other products where reliability, qualification, supply continuity, and specialized process features can matter more than maximum transistor density. The company also provides engineering, prototyping, process development, wafer fabrication, and technology-transfer services. A central part of SkyWater's public profile is its role in U.S. semiconductor supply-chain policy. The company has been described as the only U.S.-owned pure-play silicon foundry and has received attention from federal and state policymakers seeking to expand domestic microelectronics capacity. SkyWater is a Department of Defense-accredited Trusted supplier, supporting programs intended to protect sensitive chip supply chains. In 2021, President Joe Biden used a SkyWater-produced wafer while discussing semiconductors as strategic infrastructure. SkyWater expanded beyond its Minnesota base in the early 2020s. It acquired an additional fabrication facility in Osceola, Florida, and worked to convert the University of Central Florida's NeoCity facility into a second manufacturing site. The Florida expansion included facility investment and additional employment. In 2022, the company announced a proposed $1.8 billion investment in a manufacturing facility in West Lafayette, Indiana, in the Purdue University Discovery Park District. The project was later abandoned because of insufficient funding. The company also pursued ecosystem partnerships. In 2020, SkyWater worked with Efabless and Google on an open-source chip manufacturing program, making a 130-nanometer process design kit available under the Apache License. This effort lowered some barriers for academic, developer, and startup chip designers seeking access to fabrication. SkyWater later announced collaborations involving Rockley Photonics' health-monitoring technology and Weebit Nano's resistive random-access memory technology for its 130-nanometer platform. SkyWater filed for an initial public offering with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in March 2021 and trades on the Nasdaq under the symbol SKYT. Its growth strategy has focused on differentiated domestic capacity, government and defense demand, specialty process technologies, and customer partnerships rather than competing directly with the world's largest leading-edge foundries. The company announced the acquisition of Infineon Technologies' 200-millimeter semiconductor fabrication plant in Austin, Texas, completed on June 30, 2025, adding approximately 1,000 employees and broadening its U.S. manufacturing footprint.
History
SkyWater Technology was established in 2017 after Oxbow Industries acquired Cypress Foundry Solutions from Cypress Semiconductor. The acquired operation was a semiconductor fabrication business in Bloomington, Minnesota, and became the foundation of SkyWater's independent foundry model. Rather than building a business around branded end-user chips, SkyWater positioned itself as a contract manufacturer and engineering partner for customers that require specialized process technologies, domestic production, or support across the path from prototype to qualified production. The company developed its identity around U.S.-owned pure-play foundry manufacturing. This positioning became increasingly significant as policymakers and industrial customers focused on the resilience of semiconductor supply chains. SkyWater's mature-node facilities produce devices on 200-millimeter wafers using technologies including 130-nanometer and 90-nanometer processes. These technologies are not aimed at the most densely integrated consumer processors, but they remain useful for analog, mixed-signal, sensor, industrial, automotive, defense, aerospace, and other applications that value reliability and long-term availability. SkyWater expanded its physical footprint in the early 2020s. In 2021, it acquired an additional factory in Osceola, Florida, and began repurposing the University of Central Florida's NeoCity fabrication facility as a second site. The expansion included new facility investment and employment growth, with support in Minnesota partly associated with the state's Department of Employment and Economic Development. The company also attracted national attention during the Biden administration's semiconductor-policy initiatives. On April 12, 2021, President Joe Biden displayed a SkyWater wafer while describing semiconductors as infrastructure. SkyWater pursued public-market financing during the same period. It filed for an initial public offering with the Securities and Exchange Commission in March 2021 and became publicly traded on Nasdaq under the ticker SKYT. Its public-market strategy was connected to plans for increasing domestic capacity and supporting specialty semiconductor programs. Partnerships have been important to SkyWater's technology model. In 2020, the company collaborated with Efabless and Google on an open-source chip manufacturing program. SkyWater's 130-nanometer process design kit was made available under the Apache License, enabling a broader community of designers to develop and submit chip designs for fabrication. The initiative helped associate the company with open silicon, educational projects, and lower-cost prototyping. SkyWater also announced an expanded partnership with Rockley Photonics in 2021 focused on Rockley's health-monitoring solution. In 2023, it partnered with Israeli semiconductor intellectual-property company Weebit Nano to make resistive random-access memory available through its 130-nanometer process. In July 2022, SkyWater announced a proposed $1.8 billion manufacturing facility in West Lafayette, Indiana, located in Purdue University's Discovery Park District. The proposal was intended to add U.S. production capacity, but SkyWater later backed away from the plan because of a funding shortfall. The episode demonstrated the capital intensity and financing risks associated with expanding mature-node semiconductor manufacturing in the United States. SkyWater continued to enlarge its manufacturing base through the acquisition of Infineon Technologies' 200-millimeter semiconductor fab in Austin, Texas. The transaction closed on June 30, 2025, and added roughly 1,000 employees. The Austin operation broadened the company's domestic production network and reinforced its strategy of combining manufacturing assets with specialty process and engineering services. SkyWater's broader importance rests on its combination of fabrication, process development, and trusted-supplier credentials. The company serves commercial customers but also supports military and defense programs that require secure sourcing. Its history reflects the growing strategic value of domestic semiconductor manufacturing, while its business model remains focused on differentiated specialty foundry services rather than leading-edge logic production.
- 2025
Austin fabrication facility acquired
[1]SkyWater completed its acquisition of Infineon Technologies' 200-millimeter Austin, Texas, semiconductor fab, adding approximately 1,000 employees.
- 2023
ReRAM partnership with Weebit Nano
[1]SkyWater and Weebit Nano announced an arrangement to offer resistive random-access memory technology on SkyWater's 130-nanometer platform.
- 2022
Indiana expansion plan announced
[1]SkyWater announced a proposed $1.8 billion manufacturing facility in West Lafayette, Indiana, before later abandoning the plan because of insufficient funding.
- 2021
SkyWater expands to Florida
[1]The company acquired an additional fabrication site in Osceola, Florida, and began developing the University of Central Florida's NeoCity facility as a second manufacturing site.
- 2021
Initial public offering filing
[1]SkyWater filed registration materials for an initial public offering with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
- 2020
Open-source chip manufacturing program launches
[1]SkyWater collaborated with Efabless and Google on an open-source chip manufacturing program and released a 130-nanometer process design kit under the Apache License.
- 2017
SkyWater Technology is formed
[1]Oxbow Industries acquired Cypress Foundry Solutions from Cypress Semiconductor, creating the independent SkyWater Technology foundry business.
Products and positioning
A U.S.-owned specialty semiconductor foundry emphasizing domestic supply-chain security, mature-node manufacturing, customization, trusted defense production, and collaborative process development.
Semiconductor process platform
130-nanometer specialty foundry platform
SkyWater's 130-nanometer platform supports specialty integrated circuits and related microelectronics. It is used for applications where process customization, mature-node reliability, domestic manufacturing, or long-term supply may be more important than leading-edge transistor density. The platform has also supported the company's open-source manufacturing initiative and the integration of third-party technologies such as Weebit Nano's resistive random-access memory.
Semiconductor process platform
90-nanometer process technology
SkyWater manufactures semiconductor devices using 90-nanometer process technology on 200-millimeter wafer equipment. The process is part of the company's mature-node and specialty-foundry offering, serving customers in industrial, automotive, consumer, and defense-related markets.
Foundry services · 2017
Custom semiconductor engineering and fabrication
SkyWater provides engineering and manufacturing services spanning process development, prototyping, wafer fabrication, qualification, and production support. Its foundry model is designed for customers that need tailored semiconductor processes or secure U.S. manufacturing rather than access only to standardized high-volume logic nodes.
Chip design and fabrication program · 2020
Open-source silicon manufacturing
Developed with Efabless and Google, SkyWater's open-source program provided access to a 130-nanometer process design kit under the Apache License. The program was intended to make chip design and fabrication more accessible to developers, researchers, educational institutions, and early-stage projects.
Embedded memory technology · 2023
Resistive random-access memory integration
Through its 2023 partnership with Weebit Nano, SkyWater began offering a pathway for resistive random-access memory technology on its 130-nanometer process. ReRAM is a nonvolatile-memory technology that can be integrated into semiconductor designs for embedded-memory applications.
Marketing campaigns
- 2021Domestic semiconductor infrastructure advocacy
United States
SkyWater's U.S.-owned foundry operations were highlighted during federal discussions about semiconductor supply-chain resilience. President Joe Biden displayed a SkyWater wafer in April 2021 while discussing chips as infrastructure.
Outcome. The appearance increased the company's visibility as an example of domestic semiconductor manufacturing capacity.
- 2020Open-source chip manufacturing program
United States · Global developer and research community
SkyWater worked with Efabless and Google to make a 130-nanometer process design kit available under the Apache License and to support open chip designs through fabrication.
Outcome. The initiative broadened access to chip prototyping and strengthened SkyWater's association with open silicon and community-driven semiconductor development.
Brand decisions
2025
Acquire Infineon's Austin semiconductor fabM&ABackground
SkyWater pursued additional U.S. manufacturing capacity and acquired a 200-millimeter semiconductor fabrication facility from Infineon Technologies.
Action taken
The acquisition was completed on June 30, 2025, bringing the Austin, Texas, facility and approximately 1,000 employees into SkyWater's operations.
Aftermath
The transaction expanded SkyWater's domestic manufacturing footprint and workforce.
2022
Announce and later withdraw Indiana fab investmentStrategyBackground
SkyWater sought to expand U.S. manufacturing capacity through a proposed facility in West Lafayette, Indiana, in Purdue University's Discovery Park District.
Action taken
The company announced a planned investment of $1.8 billion and later backed out of the project because of a shortage of funding.
Aftermath
The proposed facility was not completed, while SkyWater continued pursuing domestic capacity through other sites and acquisitions.
Proposed capital investment. (Announced in 2022; subsequently withdrawn)
Recent events
Reported
Efabless and SkyWater collaborate on chipIgnite[3]
Efabless announced a collaboration with SkyWater Technology, whose SKY130 process is the first node supported in the chipIgnite program.
Reported
SkyWater appoints two board members[4]
SkyWater Technology announced the appointment of Wendi B. Carpenter and John T. Kurtzweil to its board of directors, expanding the board from four members to six.
Reported
SkyWater announces MOU with Osceola County to explore facility partnership[5]
SkyWater announced an exclusive, non-binding MOU with Osceola County to explore a public-private partnership under which SkyWater could take over the lease and operate the Center for Neovation. The parties had at least 60 days to reach a formal agreement.
Sources5 sources
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