One of Wales' leading tech firms in the semiconductor market will create 200 new jobs as part of a $100m (£81m) investment into a new facility in Newport. SPTS Technologies is aiming to take on an additional 200 workers at its new headquarters at Newport’s Celtic Lakes, taking its workforce from 550 to 750 staff as part of significant expansion plans.
The new facility, close to the firm’s current operation, will provide high-tech manufacturing, research and development and offices extending to 210,000 sq ft. Construction of the facility is scheduled to be completed in early 2025 ahead of fit out work.
SPTS, a division of the US group KLA Corporation, has already struck a development agreement with Trebor to deliver the new facility on land it acquired from the Welsh Government. Trebor has appointed Andrew Scott as main contractor.
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The Welsh Government has said it is supporting SPTS on the new development by upgrading infrastructure on the Celtic Lakes site - which is also home to other semiconductor companies such as Vantage, IQE, Catapult - as well as offer skills development to create a pipeline of staff available to take up the new jobs, and develop local supply chains.
Economy Minister Vaughan Gething confirmed Welsh Government support for the company following a trade visit to California’s Silicon Valley where he met the chief executive, Rick Wallace, and other members of the executive team at KLA.
Mr Gething said: “We are serious about backing a semiconductor sector that will drive up growth, create jobs and lower costs for consumers. Wales is a global player in the industry that deserves the backing of UK plc as a whole.
“Newport’s compound semiconductor and technology cluster supports hundreds of well-paid jobs in an industry that powers the technologies people across the globe rely on to live their lives.
“During my visit to California’s Silicon Valley, I promoted Wales’ reputation as a nation with a thriving semiconductor cluster and our determination to keep it that way.
“The Welsh Government is now progressing plans at pace to allow KLA to expand its operations in Newport, which we expect to unlock hundreds of new jobs – supporting our ambition to create new green jobs in the industries of the future.”
Mr Gething also called on the UK Government to "get on the pitch” with a fully-funded plan for the semiconductor sector that matched the ambition of global competitors and protected Welsh and British jobs. He warned that the UK is falling behind the ambitious mission set in the USA, which is a national priority for the Biden administration.
Mr Gething said: “It’s time for the UK Government to get on the pitch with a plan that matches the commitment of our global partners.
“The new Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology has a great opportunity to bring forward some good news and much needed certainty for the industry by publishing a new strategy that’s fit for the future. We are ready to work in partnership to make this happen.”
Last week, Nexperia, the Chinese-backed owner of Newport Wafer Fab, said its operation could close leading to hundreds of job losses if the UK Government successfully blocks its takeover.
The UK Government has ordered Nexperia, which is headquartered in the Netherlands but owned by China's Wingtech, to sell the plant on national security grounds. The company took over the site, located on Cardiff Road in Duffryn, in 2021.
Nexperia said it has launched a judicial review against the UK Government’s decision, which will be heard in the coming weeks.
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