VEDP to host semiconductor executives
Richmond - The Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) as well as local and regional economic developers from around the state will participate in Semicon West, the semiconductor industry's largest conference and exhibition show in San Francisco July 7-10. In addition to attending marketing activities at the show, Virginia and SanDisk Corporation will co-host a luncheon to showcase the Commonwealth's emergence as a leading location for semiconductor manufacturing. Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Trade Barry E. DuVal will serve as the state's host. Dr. Sanjay Mehrotra, co-founder and senior vice president of engineering at SanDisk Corporation will be the keynote speaker at Virginia's executive luncheon.
"Virginia is the new East Coast leader for semiconductor fabrication," said Barry E. DuVal, Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Trade. "Our people, resources, infrastructure and business climate make the difference for microelectronics firms and suppliers."
The Semiconductor Industry Association ranked Virginia as one of the top 10 hotspots for semiconductor fabrication facilities in the May issue of Expansion Management magazine. In the last two months alone, Virginia has scored major wins in the industry. Manassas-based Dominion Semiconductor will be home to a new semiconductor company called FlashVision LLC, a partnership between Toshiba and SanDisk Corporation. The agreement will result in 600 new jobs and a $700 million investment. Virginia successfully competed with Japan and Taiwan for the project. By 2002, the flash memory production capacity of FlashVision is projected to support more than $1 billion in annual sales.
While Dominion Semiconductor has prospered in the northern part of the state and White Oak Semiconductor remains successful in Central Virginia, ACT MicroDevices is making headlines in Southwest Virginia. The company has grown rapidly over the past four years due to the fast pace of the fiber optics industry and the crucial nature of the subcomponents they supply. ACT MicroDevices is a homegrown Virginia firm, started by four Virginia Tech graduates. The company will create 300 new jobs and invest $28 million in a new manufacturing facility in Montgomery County.