UK-headquartered microgravity manufacturer, Space Forge, has selected The Texas A&M University System as the manufacturing base for its first US facility focused on advanced semiconductor materials.
The agreement between Space Forge and The Texas A&M University System establishes a framework for research collaboration and future joint projects, with the partnership expected to support the development of semiconductor materials that cannot be produced to the same quality on Earth.
UK-founded Space Forge uses space-based manufacturing to produce advanced materials and semiconductor substrates. The company said the Texas A&M agreement represents the first step towards establishing its initial US manufacturing and processing capability. Texas A&M was selected because of its existing semiconductor infrastructure, including cleanrooms, material processing and characterisation facilities, as well as its research capabilities and access to a skilled workforce.
Space Forge will work with the Texas A&M Semiconductor Institute and AggieFab Nanofabrication Facility, which is part of the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station and the university’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
Building semiconductor capacity in Texas
The move places Space Forge within an increasingly significant US semiconductor and advanced manufacturing ecosystem. Texas already has a substantial semiconductor and space industry, with Space Forge’s existing collaborators including Intuitive Machines, Voyager and Starlab based in the state.
The company said the collaboration will initially focus on terrestrial material growth, characterisation and processing before expanding into wider joint research opportunities across the Texas A&M System over the next 12 to 24 months.
Steve Putna, Director of the Texas A&M Semiconductor Institute and associate vice chancellor for the Texas A&M System, said the collaboration could help advance semiconductor materials while supporting workforce development in the state.
Space Forge’s leadership in developing high-quality substrates for advanced materials and semiconductor applications aligns perfectly with our institute’s mission to drive disruptive, next-generation research.
Texas is one of the most dynamic environments for semiconductors in the nation, and collaborations like this one are exactly what will keep the Texas A&M System at the forefront of that momentum.
Steve Putna, Director of the Texas A&M Semiconductor Institute
Arum Han, director of AggieFab, added that the facility’s cleanroom, fabrication, characterisation and material-processing capabilities would provide a foundation for developing semiconductor substrates.
The collaboration will also give Texas A&M students and researchers hands-on experience with advanced semiconductor materials, according to Han.
Space manufacturing and US supply chains
For Space Forge, establishing a US manufacturing base forms part of a broader strategy to increase domestic capacity in advanced semiconductor materials.
Michelle Flemming, president of Space Forge Inc., said the Texas A&M partnership would provide the infrastructure, research capability and talent needed to establish the company’s first US facility. “This agreement is an important first step in establishing our manufacturing presence in the United States,” Flemming said.
The partnership comes as the US seeks to expand domestic semiconductor production and reduce vulnerabilities in critical technology supply chains.
The Semiconductor Industry Association and Boston Consulting Group have projected that US domestic semiconductor manufacturing capacity will grow by 203% during the decade following the 2022 CHIPS and Science Act.
Space Forge’s approach is based on manufacturing materials in the microgravity and vacuum environment of space, where it says conditions can enable material properties and semiconductor substrates that are difficult or impossible to achieve through conventional terrestrial manufacturing.
The Texas A&M collaboration therefore provides a terrestrial foundation for the company’s US operations, while potentially creating a pathway towards integrating its space-based materials technology into the North American semiconductor supply chain.
With the initial work focused on material growth, characterisation and processing, Space Forge and Texas A&M are expected to expand their research programme over the coming two years as the company works towards establishing its first US semiconductor materials manufacturing facility.
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