CCR and Newport City Council are contributing £7 million towards a new manufacturing and R&D facility at Imperial Park, part of the compound semiconductor cluster, which is expected to boost skilled employment in the region.
Cardiff Capital Region (CCR), the regional body made up of the ten Local Authorities in South East Wales, supported US semiconductor equipment manufacturer KLA Corporation with a £6.25m grant to facilitate the expansion of its highly innovative new manufacturing and R&D centre in Imperial Park, Newport. An additional £750,000 was granted from Newport City Council for the same project, and the total sum of £7m will be committed over the next four years.
The new 237,000 sq. ft facility includes manufacturing space, a fabrication plant, as well as office space for 750 employees, and is located within the compound semiconductor cluster in Newport, next to CCR’s CSC Foundry. The grant supports the expansion of the existing KLA business footprint in the region, bringing new manufacturing innovations and adding significant value to the Semiconductor and Compound Semiconductor Industries’ contribution to the Welsh economy.
Known as the technical heart of KLA’s new building, the dedicated cleanroom infrastructure is split into two areas, – the ‘Fab’, where KLA R&D work is undertaken, and the manufacturing clean room where KLA produces its equipment. Both are supporting the development of cutting-edge technology and recognised globally as a ‘best of kind facility’. The main manufacturing area is a class 10,000 clean room, equivalent to the cleanliness of an operating theatre. The ‘Fab’ is a class 1000/100 cleanroom, meaning it filters out 99.997% of any contaminants, making it one of the cleanest environments possible.
The new facilities are part funded by the UK Government’s investment in the Cardiff Capital Region. On a visit to KLA the Secretary of State for Wales Jo Stevens said:
“I’m delighted to see this investment into the world-leading compound semiconductor cluster in Newport. KLA’s new facilities mean they can expand and employ more highly skilled people.
“The UK Government’s funding for Cardiff Capital Region and the local Investment Zone is helping drive economic growth in a sector where Wales leads the way, delivering the plan that we have set out in our Industrial Strategy.”
Cllr Dimitri Batrouni, Leader of Newport City Council, commented:
“This investment from CCR represents a stake in the new industries of the future, the new advanced manufacturing that is being built here in Newport on a massive scale. To drive a semiconductor plant such as KLA’s, we need people, and we need skills and other companies in the local supply chain to make it all happen. 80% of these needs are coming from within the region and this is a great opportunity for the economy of South East Wales.”
The investment in infrastructure brings employment opportunities which support a number of new positions, some of which may be filled by newly qualified PhD graduates from multiple disciplines such as those from the Centre for Doctoral Training in Compound Semiconductors at Cardiff University, the Centre for Integrative Semiconductor Materials at Swansea University, as well as experts in digital and software disciplines.
Commenting on the investment, Andrew Evans, Senior Director, Commercial Legal, at KLA said:
“The investments from both KLA and CCR into this new site reinforce the importance of Wales to KLA’s global operations. The technologies created and developed in Wales are critical not only to our customers in Europe but globally too. The technology and infrastructure, combined with the skilled talent pool here continue to make this operation in Newport very competitive on the global semiconductor landscape.”
For more information about Cardiff Capital Region and its investment within the compound semiconductor cluster or its other wider cluster investment, as well as its focus on the region’s economic wellbeing, visit www.cardiffcapitalregion.gov.uk or watch this video.
