United Microelectronics Corporation and Polar Semiconductor have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to explore collaboration on delivering scalable U.S.-based 8-inch wafer production. The partnership, announced December 4, 2025, aims to address growing demand for domestically manufactured semiconductors across automotive, data centers, consumer electronics, and aerospace & defense industries.

Partnership Structure and Manufacturing Focus

Under the MOU, Polar and UMC will identify specific devices for Polar to manufacture at its recently expanded 8-inch facility in Minnesota. The collaboration combines Polar's proven manufacturing capabilities with UMC's comprehensive 8-inch technology portfolio and global customer base. Both companies expect this partnership to drive growth while supporting customers' multi-sourcing strategies.

The partnership specifically targets high-voltage, power, and sensor technologies, which are Polar's areas of specialization. These semiconductors are critical components for automotive applications, electric grids, robotic manufacturing, and data centers.

Strategic Industry Impact

The collaboration is designed to strengthen 8-inch wafer manufacturing capacity within the United States, contributing to supply chain resilience amid shifting geopolitical dynamics. The partnership ensures a secure domestic supply of power semiconductors that are essential for multiple critical infrastructure applications. Ken Obuszewski, Vice President of Marketing at Polar, stated the partnership aligns with Polar's strategy to meet growing demand for domestic manufacturing, including the need for onshore semiconductor solutions from U.S. and global customers.

He emphasized that the partnership with UMC demonstrates Polar's capability as a value-added silicon foundry specializing in power and sensor technologies. Oliver Chang, Senior Vice President of Global Sales at UMC, said UMC is committed to enabling customer success through a broad range of foundry technologies and geographically diverse manufacturing options.

Chang noted that the partnership directly addresses customers' demand for more made-in-USA chips, reflecting UMC's dedication to delivering value through innovative solutions and mutually beneficial partnerships.

Company Profiles and Capabilities

UMC is a leading global semiconductor foundry that provides high-quality IC fabrication services, focusing on logic and specialty technologies to serve all major sectors of the electronics industry. UMC's comprehensive IC processing technologies include Logic/Mixed-Signal, embedded High-Voltage, embedded Non-Volatile-Memory, RFSOI, and BCD technologies.

UMC maintains most of its 12-inch and 8-inch fabs, along with core R&D facilities, in Taiwan, with additional manufacturing locations throughout Asia. The company operates 12 fabs in production, with a combined 12-inch-equivalent capacity exceeding 400,000 wafers per month.

Polar Semiconductor operates as a U.S.-owned foundry specializing in high-voltage, power, and sensor semiconductor manufacturing for automotive, industrial, aerospace and defense, data center, and consumer applications. Based in Bloomington, Minnesota, Polar provides advanced BCD, BiCMOS, MOSFET, IGBT, Optical MEMS, Wide-Bandgap GaN, and sensor process technologies along with associated foundry design enablement, transfer, and characterization services.

The company is currently expanding its capacity and capabilities to serve growing demand for power electronics and next-generation technologies.

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