Sunlit set to open semiconductor chemical plant in Phoenix

ARIZONA BUSINESS

Oct 15, 2024, 4:45 AM

Construction started on the Sunlit Chemical manufacturing in Phoenix in 2022. (KTAR News File Photo)

(KTAR News File Photo)

BY KEVIN STONE

KTAR.com

PHOENIX — Sunlit Chemical, a Taiwanese semiconductor chemical supplier, is set to open its first U.S. manufacturing plant in north Phoenix.

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs and Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego are among the dignitaries slated to attend a grand opening ceremony for the first phase of the 900,000-square-foot facility on Oct. 23.

The new plant is located on 27 acres near Seventh Avenue and Pinnacle Peak Road, just north of the Phoenix Deer Valley Airport.

The company chose the site, in part, because of its proximity to the massive Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) factory under construction about 9 miles away.

TSMC has been a magnet for semiconductor industry companies like Sunlit since announcing plans in 2020 for its multibillion-dollar project near Loop 303 at the 43rd Avenue.

The new Sunlit facility, which has been under construction since 2022, was designed to produce high-purity hydrofluoric acid and other chemicals vital to manufacturing semiconductors.

The first phase, which will employ over 50 workers when production starts early next year, represents an investment of $100 million, the company said.

Construction on phase two, which will approximately double the facility’s workforce, is set to begin in 2025.

Sunlit was founded in 1972. The Phoenix facility is the company’s first outside of Asia.

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