On December 17 local time, leading U.S. analog semiconductor manufacturer Texas Instruments (TI) announced the start of production at its newest semiconductor fabrication plant in Sherman, Texas, roughly three and a half years after construction began. Company executives were joined by state and local officials to mark the opening of the state-of-the-art 300mm wafer fab, known as SM1.

Located about 50 miles north of Dallas, the SM1 facility will ramp production in line with customer demand and is ultimately expected to produce tens of millions of chips per day. The chips manufactured at the site are used across a wide range of electronic systems, including smartphones, automotive electronics, life-saving medical devices, industrial robots, smart home appliances, and data center infrastructure.

As the largest foundational semiconductor manufacturer in the United States, Texas Instruments supplies analog and embedded processing chips that are critical to virtually all modern electronic devices. With electronics becoming increasingly embedded in everyday life, the company has been steadily expanding its 300mm manufacturing footprint to ensure long-term supply stability for customers.

According to TI, the Sherman site is designed as a large-scale "mega-site," with future plans for up to four interconnected wafer fabs that will be constructed and equipped based on market demand. Once fully built out, the site is expected to support as many as 3,000 direct jobs, in addition to thousands of indirect positions across supporting industries.

Haviv Ilan, president and CEO of Texas Instruments, said the start of production at the Sherman fab underscores the company's vertically integrated manufacturing strategy. He noted that owning and controlling manufacturing operations, process technology, and packaging enables TI to provide dependable 300mm capacity at scale and support customers over multiple decades.

The Sherman investment forms part of TI's broader U.S. manufacturing expansion. The company has outlined plans to invest more than $60 billion across seven semiconductor fabs in Texas and Utah, a program it has described as the largest investment in foundational semiconductor manufacturing in U.S. history. TI currently operates 15 manufacturing sites worldwide, leveraging decades of manufacturing expertise to strengthen supply chain resilience.

State officials highlighted the strategic importance of the project as the U.S. semiconductor industry experiences renewed growth driven by artificial intelligence, data center expansion, and advanced electronics. Texas leaders said the Sherman fab reinforces the state's position as a major hub for semiconductor manufacturing and job creation.

Looking ahead, TI said additional phases of construction and capacity expansion at the Sherman site will proceed in line with market conditions. The company expects the facility to play a central role in meeting long-term demand for foundational semiconductors that underpin emerging technologies across AI, automotive electrification, industrial automation, and cloud computing.