Hemlock Semiconductor (HSC), the nation’s leading producer of hyper-pure polysilicon for the semiconductor and solar industries, announced the completion of its Next-Generation Finishing (NGF) facility.
Representing a major investment in a modern finishing process and expanded production capacity, NGF’s groundbreaking technology allows HSC to offer global customers semiconductor-grade polysilicon with purity measured on the lower end of the parts per trillion scale. As one of only five companies in the world capable of producing the highest quality polysilicon for chips, NGF keeps HSC on the leading edge of technological innovations that are critical to the continued evolution and miniaturization of microchips.
HSC’s polysilicon is already the purest human-made substance on Earth. At 99.999999999% pure, it’s comparable to finding a single grain of sand in 16 Olympic-sized swimming pools. NGF takes that purity to the next level, enabling even smaller microchips that will power the continued growth of AI and drive future innovations in medicine, autonomous vehicles, aerospace, military applications and much more.
Construction on the NGF facility began in July 2022. During the project’s peak, nearly 300 workers were employed on site, most of whom are residents of the Great Lakes Bay Region, logging more than 550,000 total man-hours. HSC is especially grateful to key project partners, including Saginaw-based general contractor Pumford Construction, Valley Electrical Contractors, Three Rivers Corporation, Johnston Contracting, Inc., John E. Green Company, Wendling Sheet Metal, Bierlein Companies, Inc., Murray Painting, and many others. The majority of our project partners are also based in the Great Lakes Bay Region, which supports the local economy.
“NGF is a testament to teamwork and masterful execution involving hundreds of incredibly talented people, from our engineers to our project managers and partners in the skilled trades, who brought the facility to life on time and on budget. Their collective efforts move us into the future with customer demand in sharp focus, and I couldn’t be prouder of their achievement,” said HSC Chairman and CEO AB Ghosh.
Ghosh also thanked state lawmakers, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) for providing critical funding for the expansion of local wastewater treatment facilities needed to support production at the NGF facility.
“Our state leaders have been incredible advocates for HSC’s growth and for building a domestic supply chain for the semiconductor and solar industries that starts right here in Michigan. We’re grateful for their strong support and for recognizing the vital role HSC plays in our state’s economy,” he said.
