After Leading Bipartisan Effort Urging Departments of Defense and Commerce to Secure Silicon Carbide Supply Chain From Unfair Chinese Competition, Schumer Announces Massive $1.5 Billion Federal...

Schumer Says Transformative 30-Year DOD Loan Commitment Positions Wolfspeed As A Supplier Of Silicon Carbide Semiconductors Essential To U.S. National Security, Catalyzing Domestic Chip Production & Creating Good-Paying Jobs In The Mohawk Valley As Longtime Champion Of Wolfspeed, Schumer Previously Delivered The CHIPS Investment Tax Credit From His Bipartisan CHIPS & Science Law To Expand Production & Workforce At Wolfspeed’s Fab In Marcy Schumer: We’re Making The Mohawk Valley A Key Stop On Upstate NY’s Rapidly Growing Semiconductor Superhighway After leading a bipartisan delegation of U.S. Senators urging the Secretaries of Defense and Commerce to support a whole-of-government response to preserve and strengthen domestic manufacturing of silicon carbide, Schumer today announced a massive $1.5 billion investment from the U.S. Department of Defense (“DoD”) for Wolfspeed to supercharge manufacturing of its silicon carbide semiconductors, which are critical for next-generation applications across aerospace, defense, and infrastructure. Schumer, building on years of tireless advocacy in support of Wolfspeed, including delivering the federal CHIPS Investment Tax Credit as part of his bipartisan CHIPS & Science Law, said that this 30-year, $1.5 billion loan commitment through the DoD’s Office of Strategic Capital would enable Wolfspeed to expand production of their state-of-the-art semiconductors for use by the defense supply chain, creating good-paying jobs at its industry-leading fab in the Mohawk Valley and would also expand Upstate New York’s rapidly growing Semiconductor Superhighway. “I’ve been advocating for years for the federal investment needed for Wolfspeed to scale domestic production of silicon carbide chips, which this $1.5 billion DoD investment would supercharge. I have been leading the bipartisan charge to strengthen the domestic manufacturing of silicon carbide because of how critical it is to our national security and to outcompeting China. Wolfspeed is powering American technological leadership, national security, and international competitiveness from their state-of-the-art semiconductor fab at the Marcy Nanocenter, and their silicon carbide chips would define the next generation of innovation,” said Senator Schumer. “After fighting for more than a decade to transform Upstate New York into a globally recognized semiconductor superhighway, this is yet another example that the work is paying off here in Oneida County. I will never stop fighting to create good-paying jobs, protect our national security, and deliver for communities across the Mohawk Valley.” In a recent bipartisan letter led by Schumer, he and the other senators explained that silicon carbide is the foundational substrate for a critical class of next-generation semiconductors thanks to its unique combination of high voltage tolerance, thermal conductivity, and switching speed, which make it both indispensable across advanced defense systems, electric grid infrastructure, 5G telecommunications, and the modern automotive sector. “We believe the scale and 30-year tenor of this conditional commitment reflects the long-term importance of the technology and manufacturing capabilities Wolfspeed has built in the United States,” said Robert Feurle, Chief Executive Officer of Wolfspeed. “This financing would strengthen our continued advancement of silicon carbide materials and wide bandgap power devices, reinforcing our efforts to build a more resilient U.S. semiconductor and defense industrial base.” On the heels of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to the U.S. and Beijing launching its Made in China 2025 initiative, making silicon carbide a national industrial, military, and economic priority, Schumer emphasized that accelerating U.S. global leadership in the development and production of cutting-edge silicon carbide, gallium nitride, and other high bandgap semiconductors produced by companies like Wolfspeed as well as onsemi, with operations in both the Hudson Valley and Central New York, is critical to countering China’s efforts to dominate the global silicon carbide semiconductor industry and supply chain. Over the last five years, Chinese producers have increased their share of the global silicon carbide market from under 5 percent to nearly 50 percent. Schumer added, “As I’ve been warning for years, we cannot let the CCP get its hands on our advanced chips and the manufacturing equipment needed to produce them. It's time to stand up to Xi for the sake of the American people and for global security. We must act now to bolster and secure the silicon carbide semiconductor industry before it's too late.” Schumer has fought for decades to position the Mohawk Valley and Upstate NY to attract billions of dollars in new investment, create tens of thousands of good-paying jobs, and ascend as a national leader in advanced manufacturing and defense technologies. In addition to creating the conditions for companies like Wolfspeed to grow and thrive, Schumer is actively working with Oneida County and Mohawk Valley EDGE to help lure additional semiconductor, manufacturing supply chain, and defense technology companies to the Marcy Nanocenter, which the Senator has long called one of the premier, shovel-ready sites in the entire country, as well as the Griffiss Business & Technology Park. “This $1.5 billion federal commitment further demonstrates that the groundwork laid by Oneida County continues to pay off and recognizes the critical role Wolfspeed plays in the semiconductor ecosystem. The advanced semiconductor technologies being developed by Wolfspeed have important applications for our national defense and complement the groundbreaking research and innovation taking place at the Air Force Research Laboratory in Rome. Having these capabilities in our community strengthens Oneida County’s position in the nation’s semiconductor and defense technology ecosystem, and this announcement reinforces the importance of continuing to grow that presence. I thank Senator Schumer for his bipartisan work to help make this commitment possible and for his continued efforts to support semiconductor manufacturing and national security in our region,” said Anthony J. Picente Jr., Oneida County Executive “Today’s announcement is another significant vote of confidence in Wolfspeed, the Marcy Nanocenter, and the growing semiconductor ecosystem taking root in Upstate New York. We are grateful to Senator Chuck Schumer for his relentless advocacy on behalf of Wolfspeed and the broader semiconductor industry. His leadership has helped position New York and the Mohawk Valley as critical contributors to America’s advanced manufacturing, economic competitiveness, and national security. This conditional financing commitment further reinforces the importance of Wolfspeed’s operations in Marcy and the long-term opportunities that lie ahead for our region,” said Marc Barraco, Chief of Staff, Mohawk Valley EDGE . Thanks to Schumer’s bipartisan CHIPS & Science Law, Upstate New York is undergoing a historic transformation into an internationally recognized epicenter of semiconductor manufacturing, innovation, and workforce development. The senator landed and delivered billions of dollars to realize Micron’s historic $100+ billion semiconductor megafab in Onondaga County – which broke ground earlier this year and is currently proceeding ahead of schedule – creating over 50,000 new good-paying jobs and thousands of construction jobs. The senator fought for and successfully delivered a designation and $40 million implementation award to launch the NY Smart I-Corridor Tech Hub, establishing Upstate NY as a national hub for workforce training, innovation, and manufacturing of semiconductor technologies. The senator also delivered a $32 million CHIPS funding agreement for Corning Incorporated to fuel its $315 million investment to increase the production of its specialized glass vital for semiconductor manufacturing in Northern NY, creating 300 good-paying manufacturing and construction jobs. Schumer has also been a leading champion for national security innovation and economic development across the region. Schumer has fought tirelessly to deliver billions of dollars in annual appropriations and federal contracts to Rome’s Air Force Research Lab, and drive hundreds of millions of dollars of annual economic impact across the Mohawk Valley and more than 1,000 good-paying jobs at Rome Lab and across its burgeoning defense industrial base. Schumer delivered a $30 million federal Defense Production Act investment , driving TTM Technologies’ $130 million expansion to manufacture cutting-edge printed circuit boards critical and create up to 400 good-paying jobs in the Town of DeWitt. Schumer has also successfully secured more than $100 million in annual appropriations and federal contracts over the last decade for Saab to expand the footprint of its global headquarters in East Syracuse, adding hundreds of good-paying new jobs and tens of thousands of square feet of new production capacity . A copy of the Schumer-led delegation letter to the Secretary of Defense and Secretary of Commerce is included below: Dear Secretaries Hegseth and Lutnick: We write to draw your attention to a critical matter at the intersection of national security, economic competitiveness and trade policy: the accelerating Chinese government effort to dominate the global silicon carbide semiconductor industry and supply chain, and the urgent need for a whole-of-government response to preserve and strengthen trusted domestic and allied manufacturing of silicon carbide. Silicon carbide is the foundational substrate for a critical class of next-generation semiconductors that are indispensable across advanced defense systems, AI data centers, electric grid infrastructure, 5G telecommunications, and the modern automotive sector. Silicon carbide's unique combination of high-voltage tolerance, thermal conductivity, and switching speed makes it irreplaceable in high-performance air, land and sea propulsion systems, directed energy weapons, and air and missile defense systems. Since launching its Made in China 2025 initiative, Beijing has recognized the military and economic importance of silicon carbide and made global domination in the sector a national industrial priority. In the last five years, Chinese producers have increased their share of the global silicon carbide wafer market from less than 5 percent to nearly 50 percent today. Clearly, China intends to undermine another strategically important industry built on American technology and ingenuity. If this campaign succeeds, the United States will find itself dependent on adversary supply chains for materials essential to our most advanced defense systems and critical technological infrastructure. The domestic supply chain is already under significant pressure and we are at risk of losing industry leaders and globally competitive manufacturers to this coordinated campaign. The time to act is now, before we reach the crisis stage where remedies are impossible or far more expensive and time-consuming. We encourage you to leverage Defense Production Act authorities, critical minerals designations, Buy America requirements, and any other authorities at your disposal to ensure the U.S. can protect its silicon carbide supply chain. ###