International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) has announced plans to spend $1 billion expanding its Canadian semiconductor packaging and testing plant.
The investment in IBM’s existing 800-acre site located in Bromont, Quebec, 50 miles east of Montreal, will occur over the next five years, according to the company.
The Bromont semiconductor facility is currently the largest of its kind in North America and home to Canada’s only quantum computer.
Following months of negotiations with the Quebec and federal governments, IBM announced the expansion of the Bromont plant and the creation of nearly 300 additional jobs.
The federal and Quebec governments are contributing a combined $100 million for the facility’s expansion.
IBM is also planning to add a research and development (R&D) laboratory at the Bromont semiconductor site.
Governments in the U.S. and Canada are eager to move semiconductor production to North America and lessen reliance on manufacturers in Asia where 75% of global semiconductor production currently occurs.
The U.S. government has set aside $39 billion U.S. to buildout domestic semiconductor production in America.
