Virginia locale’s skilled talent pipeline, acclaimed supply chain ecosystem overcome semiconductor industry’s greatest challenges
Henrico, Virginia, August 23, 2023
Henrico has emerged as a front-runner for the new home of the semiconductor chip industry, bolstered by its unmatched education system and top-ranked supply chain ecosystem. Virginia is the number one state for education, according to CNBC’s most recent Top State for Business report. Meanwhile, fDi Intelligence named Henrico and the greater Richmond region as the second-best place in the world for transport and warehousing strategy in 2021.
“We solve for two of the most significant challenges facing the semiconductor industry today – supply chain disruptions and a growing skills gap,” said Anthony Romanello, Executive Director of the Henrico Economic Development Authority (EDA). “And it’s because in Henrico, we work with speed and efficiency for the betterment of our businesses and our community. We are always preparing for the future today.”
Since the 1990s, Henrico has offered High Tech Academy, a dual-enrollment STEM program where teenagers accelerate their learning in college-level engineering classes. For older students and adult learners, there is the recent launch of the Virginia Alliance for Semiconductor Technology (VAST), a massive network focused on training a job-ready workforce of the future. It will offer over 50,000 hours of hands-on semiconductor and microelectronics lab and equipment training, 5,000 STEM degrees, and 500 semiconductor fast-track workforce certifications.
VAST’s members span state government, companies, and universities, including Virginia Commonwealth University near Henrico. The institution’s College of Engineering has a shared research space where investigators, students, and industrial researchers gain hands-on experience in more than 8,000 square feet of cleanroom space using a full suite of cutting-edge microfabrication and nanofabrication tools.
“Virginia is stepping up to lead the way by investing in key initiatives that will deliver STEM talent to a robust and growing workforce across the Commonwealth,” said Governor Glenn Youngkin before his first international trade mission to Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea. “Together, our private and public sector partnerships will create new opportunities in semiconductors, microelectronics, and nanotechnology to drive critically important economic sectors and technology leadership. I look forward to collaborating with the many schools in Virginia that are producing research and highly trained students that will accelerate the development of our VAST ecosystem.”
In terms of unrivaled superior logistics support, Henrico offers a future-ready transportation network in the heart of the East Coast. Companies leverage:
- Richmond International Airport, recognized as the Most Efficient Airport in North America and a designated Foreign Trade Zone.
- The Port of Virginia, which owns and operates its own terminals to help it avoid supply chain disruptions and is set to become the deepest container port on the East Coast by 2024.
- Interstates I-95 and I-64, facilitating the domestic transportation of goods to all points east and west.
The semiconductor industry has already realized the advantages of establishing operations in Henrico. In the 1990s, the locality invested $44 million to develop the master-planned industrial park White Oak Technology Park (WOTP), enticing Siemens A.G. and Motorola to construct a 1 million-square-foot plant.
“Siemens and Motorola wanted two-lane accessibility to I-64 and I-295; we gave them four,” recalled B. Anthony Hall, former Deputy Director of the Henrico EDA and current Fractional Consultant. “They needed reliable electricity and thanks to our great relationship with Dominion, we built multiple distribution substations and 34.5 kV circuits for them. We even thought outside of the box to introduce German-spoken courses at our public schools so the children of relocated workers could learn in their own language.”
“Our country, our state, and our community have done and will do everything it needs to in order to create an unshakeable foundation for the future success of the semiconductor industry,” continued Romanello. “The CHIPS Act, VAST, our locality’s investments in talent and infrastructure … the message is clear: ‘Build your semiconductor manufacturing facility in Henrico, Virginia. We’re ready.’”
Watch our video to learn more about why Henrico is an ideal location for the semiconductor industry.
About the Henrico EDA
Located in the heart of the Eastern Seaboard, Henrico is an AAA-bonded county adjacent to Virginia’s capital city of Richmond. The EDA is your single point of contact for business development and site selection services. Find properties and run reports with our GIS tool, HenricoProperties.com. Learn more about White Oak Technology Park, a master-planned high-tech manufacturing center, at whiteoaktechpark.com. Visit Henrico.com for the latest news and to sign up to receive our Property Now and Henrico Now newsletters.