SkyWater Technology
| SkyWater Technology, Inc. | |
|---|---|
 SkyWater building | |
| Type | Public |
| Nasdaq: SKYT | |
| Industry | Semiconductor manufacturer |
| Founded | 2017 |
| Headquarters | Bloomington, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Key people | Thomas Sonderman |
| Products | Semiconductor Silicon chips Silicon wafer |
| Parent | IonQ |
| Website | skywatertechnology.com |
SkyWater Technology, Inc. is an American semiconductor engineering and fabrication foundry, based in Bloomington, Minnesota. It is the only US-owned pure-play silicon foundry. It was acquired by IonQ in July, 2026.
History
The company was formed in 2017, when private equity firm Oxbow Industries acquired Cypress Foundry Solutions, a microelectronics fabricator that was previously a subsidiary of California-based Cypress Semiconductor Corp.
In early 2021, SkyWater acquired an additional chip factory in Osceola, Florida, repurposing the University of Central Florida NeoCity fabrication facility into a second fabrication site. It expanded its facility and added 100 new jobs in 2021, partially due to funding from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development. SkyWater Technology acquired Infineon Technologies' 200mm semiconductor fab in Austin, Texas on June 30, 2025, adding approximately 1,000 employees to SkyWater's workforce.
Initial public offering
SkyWater Technology filed an initial public offering with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in March 2021.
U.S. infrastructure investment
SkyWater has been cited as an example of the infrastructure the Biden administration is investing in. On April 12, 2021, President Joe Biden held up a silicon wafer created by SkyWater while saying chips represents a form of infrastructure.
On July 20, 2022, Skywater announced plans to invest 1.8 billion dollars into a manufacturing facility in West Lafayette, Indiana, but the company has since backed out of those plans due to a shortage of funding. The facility is within Purdue University's Discovery Park District.
Acquisition
On January 26, 2026, quantum computing company IonQ agreed to buy Skywater for $1.8 billion. On July 31, 2026, the acquisition was approved.
Technology
SkyWater produces semiconductor chips using 90-nanometer and 130-nanometer process technology on equipment designed to handle 200-millimeter wafers of silicon. SkyWater works in the consumer, industrial, military & defense, and automotive industries. SkyWater is a Department of Defense-accredited Trusted supplier, part of the DOD's efforts to secure a supply chain within the United States.
In 2020, SkyWater collaborated with Efabless and Google to create the first open source chip manufacturing program. SkyWater's 130 nm process design kit has been made available under the Apache License.
On August 21, 2021, SkyWater announced an expanded partnership with Rockley Photonics Holdings, focused on Rockley's health monitoring solution.
In 2023, SkyWater partnered with Israeli semiconductor IP company Weebit Nano to offer resistive random-access memory (ReRAM) on their 130 nm process.
References
- ↑ "SkyWater CEO Expands 'Technology Foundry' Model". 22 November 2022.
- ↑ Rehkamp, Patrick (23 March 2021). "Bloomington-based SkyWater Technology files to go public". Minneapolis St Paul Business Journal.
- ↑ "Semiconductor manufacturer SkyWater Technology sets terms for $75 million IPO". Renaissance Capital.
- ↑ Moore, Samuel K (6 August 2018). "The Foundry at the Heart of DARPA's Plan to Let Old Fabs Beat New Ones". IEEE Spectrum.
- ↑ Godoy, Jody (31 July 2026). "FTC approves IonQ acquisition of SkyWater semiconductor foundry". Reuters.
- ↑ Reilly, Mark (9 September 2020). "SkyWater Technology finishes Bloomington HQ expansion for 'rad-hard' chips". Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journals.
- ↑ Shih, Willy. "Inside SkyWater Technology's Domestic Semiconductor Foundry". Forbes.
- ↑ Ramstad, Evan (4 August 2021). "SkyWater shares rise 20% as execs explain move to expand production capacity". Star Tribune.
- ↑ Reed, Charlie. "NeoCity back in business with tech firm replacing UCF". Around Osceola.
- ↑ Hauser, Tom. "Walz supports federal legislation to boost computer chip manufacturing". KSTP.
- ↑ "SkyWater Completes Acquisition of Fab 25". SkyWater Technology. 2024-12-31. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
- ↑ Leopold, George (24 March 2021). "SkyWater is Latest Tech IPO". EE Times.
- ↑ Manners, David (26 March 2021). "SkyWater to IPO". Electronics Weekly.
- ↑ "Semiconductor manufacturer SkyWater Technology files for a $75 million IPO". Nasdaq.
- ↑ Aoyma, Naoatsu. "Niche chip maker SkyWater plays key role in U.S. supply strategy". The Asahi Shimbun.
- ↑ Nellis, Stephen (13 April 2021). "Biden's chip dreams face reality check of supply chain complexity". Reuters.
- ↑ "Original microchip plant no longer coming to West Lafayette". WLFI. April 5, 2024.
- ↑ "SkyWater Technology chooses Discovery Park District at Purdue for $1.8B semiconductor fabrication facility, to create 750 jobs in 5 years". 20 July 2022.
- ↑ Clark, Don; Swanson, Ana (2023-01-01). "U.S. Pours Money Into Chips, but Even Soaring Spending Has Limits". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-01-23.
- ↑ Thomas, Lauren (2026-01-26). "Quantum-Computing Company IonQ to Buy Chip Maker SkyWater for $1.8 Billion". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2026-01-30.
- ↑ Godoy, Jody (31 July 2026). "FTC approves IonQ acquisition of SkyWater semiconductor foundry". Reuters. Retrieved 31 July 2026.
- ↑ Marini, Becky (2023-11-12). "SKY's the Limit with the SKY130 Open-Source PDK". Skywater Technology. Retrieved 2026-07-10.
- ↑ Moore, Samuel K (6 August 2018). "The Foundry at the Heart of DARPA's Plan to Let Old Fabs Beat New Ones". IEEE Spectrum.
- ↑ Lapedus, Mark (17 December 2020). "200mm Demand Surges". Semiconductor Engineering.
- ↑ "SkyWater Technology Foundry, Inc". OxBow Industries.
- ↑ Herman, Arthur. "Biden, Semiconductors, And America's Future". Forbes.
- ↑ Chowdry, Amit (24 August 2021). "SkyWater Technology Shares Increase Over 10% Pre-Market: Why It Happened". Pulse 2.
- ↑ Halfacree, Gareth. "Google, SkyWater Release Production Dev Kit, Offer Open Hardware Projects Free 130nm Manufacturing". Hackster.IO.
- ↑ google/skywater-pdk, Google, 2026-07-09, retrieved 2026-07-10
- ↑ Chatterjee, Manisha. "After Announcing an Expanded Partnership, is SkyWater Technology a Buy?". Yahoo News.
- ↑ Marini, Becky (2023-03-07). "Weebit Nano ReRAM IP now available in SkyWater Technology's S130 process". Skywater Technology. Retrieved 2026-07-10.