Austin-Taylor Semiconductor Operators

Travis and Williamson Counties · Austin to Taylor

The Austin to Taylor corridor holds working chip fabs run by Samsung Austin, NXP and SkyWater, the Samsung Taylor 2nm fab now in trial production, the Tesla Terafab Research Fab under construction, and design centers for Apple, AMD, Intel, IBM and Texas Instruments. Samsung anchors the cluster with more than $18 billion invested in Austin since 1996 and a Central Texas plan above $37 billion.

Samsung's planned regional investment, including TaylorSamsung Central Texas plan$37B Cumulative investment in the two Austin fabs since 1996Samsung Austin to date$18B Initial minimum: $6B buildings, $11B toolsSamsung Taylor initial$17B Tesla commitment for the Terafab Research Fab at Giga TexasTesla Research Fab$3B North Austin campus announced in 2018Apple Austin campus$1B
Anchor
Samsung
Samsung plan
$37B+
New fabs
Taylor, Terafab
Counties
Travis, Williamson
Since
IBM, 1967
Sector
Chips and fabs

Overview

Samsung, NXP and SkyWater Make Chips Here; Apple, AMD and Intel Design Them

IBM opened its Austin plant in 1967, and Texas Instruments and Motorola followed with Austin factories by 1974. Motorola's chip business became Freescale and then NXP. Samsung began investing in Austin in 1996, and its Taylor fab in Williamson County broke ground in 2022. Tesla is adding a research fab at Giga Texas in eastern Travis County. The full operator list is in the Austin semiconductor directory.

Samsung's two Austin campuses supported 38,498 direct and indirect jobs and $19.8 billion of Central Texas economic output in 2024, by Samsung's count.

Profile
Operating fabsSamsung Austin, NXP, SkyWater Fab 25
New leading-edge fabSamsung Taylor (2nm)
Fab under constructionTesla Terafab Research Fab, Giga Texas
Largest investorSamsung, $37B+ Central Texas plan
Design centersApple, AMD, Intel, IBM, Texas Instruments, Tesla
EquipmentApplied Materials, Tokyo Electron America
Oldest anchorIBM, since 1967
CountiesTravis, Williamson

Operators

Ten Operators That Shape the Corridor

Major semiconductor operators in the Austin-Taylor corridor
OperatorAustin-Taylor operationsRole
Samsung Taylor2nm fab in Taylor; trial production of Tesla chips began September 2026, mass production expected 2027; second fab to start construction by end of 2026Builds Tesla AI5 and AI6 under a $16.5B contract signed July 2025; up to $4.745B in CHIPS Act funding
Samsung Austin SemiconductorTwo fabs on the Austin campus; more than $18B invested since 1996Mature logic production and the staff and logistics base for Taylor
Apple$1B North Austin campus announced 2018, sized for up to 15,000 employeesHardware engineering and support for Apple silicon; Apple's largest site outside Cupertino
NXP SemiconductorsAbout 4,000 Austin employees in 2025; ATMC fab in East Austin; Champion Office Park lease signed by February 2026Automotive and industrial chips; former Freescale US headquarters
AMDAustin design campusEPYC server CPUs, Instinct AI accelerators and Ryzen design and verification
TeslaAI chip design at Giga Texas; $3B Terafab Research Fab under constructionAI5, AI6 and AI7 chips for vehicles, Optimus and data centers
IntelAustin design and engineering centerTerafab foundry partner since April 2026; Intel 14A named as the Terafab process
IBMAustin site since 1967Power processor design, research and software
Applied MaterialsAustin manufacturing and engineering operationsDeposition, etch and inspection tools for Samsung, Terafab and other fabs
Texas InstrumentsAustin design and engineeringAnalog and embedded chips; production at TI Sherman

Terafab

Terafab Adds Tesla and Intel as Fab Builders in Central Texas

Tesla and SpaceX announced Terafab in Austin on March 21, 2026. Tesla is building the Research Fab at Giga Texas, and SpaceX is building the Production Fab in Grimes County, with a $16.8 billion first phase and 3,000 jobs. Samsung Taylor already builds Tesla AI5, and Intel supplies the 14A process. Detail is at Terafab Global Case Study.

Applied Materials, Lam Research and KLA tools fill every new fab in the corridor. China has been Applied Materials' largest regional market in recent years, and US export controls limit which tools it can ship to Chinese fabs such as SMIC.

Beyond the list

Design Startups and Suppliers Fill Out the Cluster

  • SkyWater Fab 25: 200mm foundry on East Ben White Blvd, bought from Infineon in 2025 and owned by IonQ since July 2026.
  • Tenstorrent: RISC-V CPU and AI accelerator design team in Austin.
  • Tokyo Electron America: US headquarters in Austin; equipment support for Samsung and other Texas fabs.
  • Synopsys and Cadence: electronic design automation (EDA) offices serving Austin chip designers.
  • Infineon: keeps Austin wafer supply through a four-year take-or-pay agreement with SkyWater.

Record

Dataset Record

Sources
Samsung Austin Semiconductor, SamMobile, TrendForce, DigiTimes, Electrek, Korea Times, The Real Deal, Community Impact, Built In Austin, Wikipedia (Silicon Hills), Data Center Dynamics, Office of the Texas Governor, SkyWater Technology, IonQ, CoStar via AQUILA Commercial
Last verified
October 2026