Greg Abbott Bets Big on Semiconductors With $33.6 Million Grant to Texas Instruments

Governor Greg Abbott (R-TX) is doubling down on the state's semiconductor industry, announcing a $33.6 million grant to Texas Instruments for a major expansion of its chip manufacturing facility in Richardson, part of a broader push to keep Texas at the forefront of American technology manufacturing.

The grant comes from the Texas Semiconductor Innovation Fund, a program Abbott established through the Texas CHIPS Act in 2023.

Texas Instruments plans to put the funding toward a $700 million capital investment at its Richardson facility, expanding capacity and upgrading technology at one of the country's most significant semiconductor manufacturing sites.

"Texas is where the integrated circuit was born and where the future is forged," Abbott said. "Texas has the innovation, the infrastructure, and the talent to manufacture the technologies that will change the future of the world."

Future for Texas

The history behind that claim helps better understand that Texas Instruments, a Fortune 500 company headquartered in Dallas, produced the world's first commercial silicon transistor in 1954 and followed it up with the invention of the integrated circuit in 1958, a breakthrough that made modern electronics possible.

Today, the company is the largest manufacturer of foundational semiconductors in the United States, producing the chips that end up inside satellites, vehicles, smartphones, and virtually every other electronic device on the market.

Additionally, the Richardson expansion will focus on 300mm wafers, the largest and most advanced size used in semiconductor manufacturing, allowing the facility to produce a broader range of products with greater efficiency.

Texas Instruments Senior Vice President Mohammad Yunus said the grant reflects the company's long-standing commitment to building in Texas.

"This award recognizes the investment we have made in our Richardson semiconductor manufacturing factory and reinforces our commitment to producing the foundational technology that is vital for nearly every electronic device, now and for decades to come," he said.