SINGAPORE – US semiconductor equipment maker KLA Corp has opened the first phase of what will be its fourth plant in Singapore.
The move is part of a US$200 million (S$259 million) plan to expand its presence here and make products for Asian and global customers.
Construction of the second phase will start soon and when finished by 2026, the new site is expected to add an estimated 400 additional employees to its local workforce, the firm said at a ceremony on Oct 3 to mark the completion of the first phase.
California-based KLA set up in Singapore with a sales and service office in 1996 and started manufacturing in 2006. It now employs about 1,500 people and has its regional headquarters here.
KLA’s expansion comes on the heels of several new investment commitments announced in recent years by companies that fabricate semiconductors or are part of the manufacturing value chain, such as processors of silicon substrate materials and companies that test, assemble and package chips.
The chip firms that have made fresh investments include GlobalFoundries, Micron, Siltronic, Soitec, UMC and a $7.8 billion joint venture by Vanguard International and NXP Semiconductors.
Earlier in 2024, Applied Materials – another leading maker of tools used across the chip value chain – started operations at its new $600 million plant in Tampines Industrial Crescent. The facility will employ 1,000 staff once it is fully functional.
Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong said at the KLA ceremony that Singapore accounts for about 20 per cent of the global market share for semiconductor equipment.
“We stand ready to fulfil the global demand for semiconductors by growing our semiconductor equipment industry,” said Mr Gan, who is also Minister for Trade and Industry.
He noted that KLA’s new facility will make some of the company’s most complex and sophisticated wafer geometry, optical defect inspection, and eBeam defect inspection and review tools.
“The demand for new semiconductor technologies will continue to drive innovation and growth in the semiconductor equipment industry, to enable new manufacturing processes, use of new materials, new technologies, architectures and new structures,” added Mr Gan.
“We hope this will, in turn, drive companies such as KLA to deepen their investments into Singapore, to drive the growth of our semiconductor equipment industry, and generate good jobs for Singaporeans.”
