- Florida is investing $50 million in its semiconductor industry to support semiconductor manufacturing, advanced packaging, and development projects.
- The allocation will be equally divided, with $25 million going to the Florida Job Growth Grant Fund and $25 million to the Workforce Development Capitalization Incentive Grant Program.
- Florida currently ranks fifth in the nation for semiconductor manufacturing jobs and third for semiconductor establishments.
The State of Florida is investing $50 million in its semiconductor industry to support semiconductor manufacturing, advanced packaging, and development projects.
The allocation will be administered through FloridaCommerce and the Florida Department of Education with the aim of bolstering the state’s manufacturing capabilities, securing its supply chain, and creating jobs. Florida currently ranks fifth in the nation for semiconductor manufacturing jobs and third for semiconductor establishments.
The $50 million will be equally divided, with $25 million allocated through the Florida Job Growth Grant Fund by FloridaCommerce and the other $25 million through the Workforce Development Capitalization Incentive Grant Program by the Florida Department of Education.
“Florida is quickly becoming the global hub for semiconductor manufacturing in the space and defense industries,” said Gov. Ron DeSantis. “By dedicating $50 million to expand our manufacturing capabilities, we are strengthening Florida’s supply chain and ensuring Florida maintains a strong economy that supports Florida families.”
Florida has dedicated a wide range of financial resources to the research and development of stateside semiconductor manufacturing, underscored by the governor’s past emphasis on decreasing American reliance on foreign entities for the production and importation of the chips.
“Manufacturing is something that we need to do a better job of. We’ve worked really hard to expand our manufacturing footprint and we want to continue doing that moving forward,” DeSantis said in 2022. “Semiconductors are a huge issue. If you look at how the supply chain works, we are overly dependent on foreign nations, including Taiwan, which is a good ally of ours but is one that is under really serious pressure by the CCP in China, so I think the more we can do manufacturing here, the better off we’ll be.”
Earlier this year, Micross Components, Inc., a leading provider of high-reliability microelectronic products and services, opened an 85,000-square-foot flagship semiconductor and specialty electronics manufacturing facility in Apopka.
Federal funding has also furthered the sector’s presence in Florida, with Osceola County receiving an influx of funding last year following an award of nearly $51 million to further the development of the NeoCity technology park. Using the funds, NeoCity was able to upgrade advanced manufacturing capabilities and expand research and production of customized semiconductor products while boosting education and workforce training.
Last January, DeSantis also awarded $6 million to the county to expand its southern corridor to connect with NeoCity.