Samsung Electronics has started to secure manpower for its second foundry factory (fab) in the U.S. It is hiring key personnel to build and operate the facility infrastructure located in Taylor, Texas, which will start construction within this year. Fierce competition for manpower between Samsung and TSMC and Intel, which are planning to build their own foundries in the U.S., is expected.
Samsung Austin Semiconductor(SAS) has recently started hiring personnel who will work in Taylor as air conditioning·gas facility operation and maintenance managers. The Taylor foundry is Samsung Electronics' second consignment production hub for semiconductors after Austin. Construction will begin soon with the goal to start operating by the second half of 2024. As the Taylor foundry organization is not yet in place, new employees will be hired as members affiliated to Samsung Austin Semiconductor. Considering that infrastructure construction and operation management positions are necessary for creating new fabs, there is a higher probability that the new recruits will be deployed to Taylor rather than Austin. Samsung Electronics also predicts a flexible use of manpower, emphasizing that Austin and Taylor are just 30 minutes apart.
Starting with the hiring of manpower to build facility infrastructure, it is expected that the Taylor foundry will continue recruitment. Samsung Electronics expects to create more than 2,000 jobs in nearby areas with the construction of the Taylor foundry.
Competition for manpower with TSMC of Taiwan and Intel of the U.S. is also expected since each foundry factory needs as many as thousands of people. In the short term, it will not be easy to fill the workforce with new employees.
It is a situation where they will need to absorb manpower from competitors.
The movement of manpower between competitors has already begun. In particular, Intel, which has re-entered the foundry market, is absorbing a large number of its competitors' manpower. Last month, executive-level personnel from Samsung Electronics and the TSMC foundry have reportedly joined the Intel foundry. According to an industry official, "Intel, which needs to secure foundry experience and know-how, is attracting manpower from competitors," further predicting that "movement of administrator-level manpower for operation will rise in frequency."
By Staff Reporter Dong-jun Kwon djkwon@etnews.com