(FLINT) – Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Wednesday called on Michigan to “work together” to become home to a semiconductor chip assembly plant – known as a fab, short for fabrication facility – which is the “most advanced factories on the planet.”
However, Whitmer didn’t explain what “work together” means except that “we need to add more tools to our toolbox” as she declared what she called an “ambitious but attainable goal” to secure a fab by the end of 2026.
The Democratic governor also did not identify the company that leaders hope will bring a semiconductor fab facility to the state or what level of financial investment would be needed to make her goal happen.
“This would be a transformational, once-in-a-century investment,” Whitmer told a group of about 54 people at the GM Mobility Research Center at Kettering University in Flint. “It would change the destiny of an entire region in the state, making it an economic magnet. … It’s exactly what we need. …
“We’re not going to beat China by sitting on the sidelines,” she noted.
Throughout Whitmer’s estimated 15-minute speech, which is part of her series “Road Ahead” speeches, she said “chip” 20 times and “FAB” 12 times, but not once did she mention “Project Grit” – a proposed large-scale economic development planned in Mundy Township.
Tyler Rossmaessler, Flint & Genesee Economic Alliance executive director, said local leaders are looking to attract an advanced manufacturing project – similar to what Whitmer spoke about on Wednesday – that could potentially become one of the state’s largest manufacturing operations.
Rossmaessler declined to name a specific company interested in the estimated 1,200 acres property located at the corner of Linden and Hill roads near Bishop International Airport as it may compromise potential future happenings.
The estimated 2-square-mile site sits mainly in Mundy Township, but a northern portion sits in Flint Township.
Media reports suggested that San Jose-based chipmaker Western Digital Technologies is one company in talks with the state about a $55 billion investment that was part of former President Joe Biden’s “CHIPS Act.”
However, President Donald Trump has signaled he’s likely to pursue another path, putting the future of Project Grit into question.
“There is no business that has decided to choose that site yet,” Rossmaessler said. ” … We’re creating the best site in America that is going to be ready for a great opportunity like what we heard about today.”
Semiconductor chips are tiny electronic devices that power various technologies, including medical devices, drones and solar panels.
Whitmer said the fab would be a “monumental task” that would require moving enough soil “to fill 400 Olympic pools, bending more steel than the Mackinac Bridge and pouring a dozen times more cement than Ford Field.”
Whitmer called a fab an “intergenerational project where a dad can work on pouring the foundation, a daughter can help wire it up to the grid and the grandchild can work inside, ultimately making the advanced chips our world needs.”
Article courtesy MIRS News for SBAM’s Lansing Watchdog newsletter
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