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SUMCO in Arizona

By Arizona AI · Profile reviewed · 23 sourced facts

At a glance

SUMCO Corporation, a Tokyo-based maker of the silicon wafers that chipmakers use as the starting material for chips, runs its U.S. headquarters and a 200-millimeter polished-wafer plant in Phoenix, Arizona, through SUMCO Southwest Corporation. SUMCO's Phoenix plant grows silicon crystals and finishes wafers at the same facility, and it shipped its first wafers in June 1997, according to SUMCO's site history. SUMCO Corporation is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

Key facts

Arizona location
Headquarters
Tokyo, Japan
Ownership
Public company
Tokyo Stock Exchange: 3436
Website
sumcousa.com

Sources: SUMCO Phoenix Corporation, SUMCO Corporation · Addresses open Google Maps in a new tab

About SUMCO

What SUMCO does

SUMCO makes silicon wafers, the thin, extremely flat discs on which semiconductor factories build electronic circuits. The Japanese parent, SUMCO Corporation, is headquartered in Tokyo and listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange as 3436.

The product: SUMCO grows single-crystal silicon into long cylinders, cuts them into wafer discs and polishes the surfaces so chip manufacturers have a flat, clean starting material. Its group-wide product range also includes specialized epitaxial and annealed wafers.

Older than the SUMCO name: SUMCO's Phoenix site sent its first wafer shipment in June 1997. The Japanese parent company was established in July 1999 and adopted the SUMCO name in August 2005, so the Phoenix plant predates both.

In Arizona

Phoenix factory and U.S. headquarters: SUMCO Southwest Corporation, described by SUMCO as a wholly owned subsidiary of SUMCO Phoenix Corporation, operates the 200 mm polished-wafer facility in Phoenix. The company lists this location as its U.S. corporate headquarters as well as a manufacturing plant. SUMCO's global site register describes the Phoenix plant as making monocrystalline silicon ingots and silicon wafers. State records show SUMCO Southwest Corporation was incorporated in Arizona on September 20, 1995, the month before construction broke ground, and list SUMCO Corporation as shareholder of SUMCO Phoenix Corporation.

What happens inside: The Phoenix operation grows silicon crystals by the Czochralski process, then slices and polishes wafers to a mirror finish. SUMCO calls it a 200 mm crystal and polished-wafer plant, growing ingots up to 200 mm in diameter for its own wafering line. The company lists boron, phosphorus, antimony and arsenic as options for adjusting conductivity.

Land and buildings: SUMCO's Phoenix facility page lists 100 acres, of which 40 acres are developed, and 550,000 square feet of buildings, including 100,000 square feet of cleanroom. SUMCO's page does not say when these figures were measured.

Workforce: The same page lists 470 employees: 390 in production and 80 in administration. SUMCO does not say when the count was taken.

When it started: The Phoenix site history says construction broke ground in October 1995, was completed in January 1997, and produced its first wafer shipment in June 1997.

Other U.S. manufacturing: SUMCO lists an epitaxial wafer plant in Albuquerque, New Mexico, separate from the Phoenix polished-wafer line.

Worldwide scale: The Japanese parent reported 9,714 consolidated employees on December 31, 2025 and ¥409.6 billion in 2025 sales. Both figures are group-wide, not Arizona employment or Arizona sales.

Role in AI and chips

The material before the chip: A wafer is the flat base on which semiconductor companies fabricate circuits. SUMCO's Phoenix operation makes those wafers, so it belongs at the materials stage of the chip supply chain, before circuit fabrication and chip packaging.

An important distinction: The Phoenix plant makes 200 mm wafers. Other SUMCO wafer types, such as the epitaxial wafers made in Albuquerque, come from other plants. Phoenix supplies starting material; it does not make processors.

How wafers become usable: SUMCO describes growing high-purity monocrystalline silicon, slicing it and polishing it. A wafer's purity and surface quality matter because chip fabrication adds finely patterned circuits on top of that material.

SUMCO in Arizona: By the Numbers

Each figure is dated and linked to its source. Figures that are company-reported, announced, or projected rather than measured are labeled.

  • Phoenix wafer diameter: 200 mm polished silicon wafers (company-reported)
  • First Phoenix wafer shipment: June 1997 (company-reported)
  • Phoenix employees: 470 (company-reported)

The Arizona build-out, 1995 to 1997

  • 1995: Phoenix groundbreaking
  • 1995: SUMCO Southwest Corporation incorporated in Arizona
  • 1997: Phoenix plant construction completed
  • 1997: First Phoenix wafer shipment

SUMCO Phoenix crystal and wafer plant, Arizona

MeasureValueAs ofBasisSource
Address19801 N. Tatum Blvd., Phoenix, AZ 850502026-11-03company-reported From the company's own published information.SUMCO Phoenix Corporation
Plant and U.S. headquartersSUMCO Southwest Corporation: U.S. headquarters and polished silicon wafer manufacturing2026-11-03company-reported From the company's own published information.SUMCO Phoenix Corporation
Manufacturing processGrows single-crystal silicon ingots by the Czochralski process, slices wafers and polishes them to a mirror finish2026-11-03company-reported From the company's own published information.SUMCO Phoenix Corporation
Land100 acres (40 developed)2026-11-03company-reported From the company's own published information.SUMCO Phoenix Corporation
Buildings550,000 sq ft2026-11-03company-reported From the company's own published information.SUMCO Phoenix Corporation
Cleanroom area100,000 sq ft2026-11-03company-reported From the company's own published information.SUMCO Phoenix Corporation
Plant activity listed by global parentDesign, development and manufacture of monocrystalline silicon ingots and silicon wafers2026-11-03company-reported From the company's own published information.SUMCO Corporation

Facilities

MeasureValueAs ofBasisSource
Phoenix groundbreakingOctober 19952026-11-03company-reported From the company's own published information.SUMCO Phoenix Corporation
Phoenix plant construction completedJanuary 19972026-11-03company-reported From the company's own published information.SUMCO Phoenix Corporation
Separate U.S. manufacturing rolesPhoenix manufactures polished silicon wafers; SUMCO's Albuquerque, New Mexico, plant manufactures epitaxial wafers2026-11-03company-reported From the company's own published information.SUMCO Phoenix Corporation
Phoenix plant in global company site dataSUMCO Phoenix Corporation (SPX) Phoenix Plant2026-11-03company-reported From the company's own published information.SUMCO Corporation

Workforce

MeasureValueAs ofBasisSource
SUMCO group employees worldwide at year-end 20259,7142025-12-31company-reported From the company's own published information.SUMCO Corporation

Production

MeasureValueAs ofBasisSource
Products at group levelPolished, epitaxial and annealed silicon wafers, among other wafer products2026-11-03company-reported From the company's own published information.SUMCO Corporation
Conductivity-adjusting wafer dopants listed for PhoenixBoron, phosphorus, antimony and arsenic2026-11-03company-reported From the company's own published information.SUMCO Phoenix Corporation

Other

MeasureValueAs ofBasisSource
SUMCO Southwest Corporation incorporated in ArizonaSeptember 20, 19952026-11-04verifiedArizona Corporation Commission
Phoenix operating-company ownershipSUMCO Southwest Corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of SUMCO Phoenix Corporation2026-11-03company-reported From the company's own published information.SUMCO Phoenix Corporation
Shareholder of SUMCO Phoenix CorporationSUMCO Corporation2026-11-04verifiedArizona Corporation Commission
Current SUMCO Corporation establishedJuly 30, 19991999-07-30company-reported From the company's own published information.SUMCO Corporation
Parent adopted SUMCO Corporation nameAugust 20052026-11-03company-reported From the company's own published information.SUMCO Corporation
SUMCO Corporation consolidated sales, 2025¥409.6 billion2025-12-31company-reported From the company's own published information.SUMCO Corporation

Sources

SUMCO Jobs in Arizona (0 open)

SUMCO in Arizona: Key Developments

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SUMCO in Arizona: Common Questions

How do I apply for a job at SUMCO in Arizona?

Arizona AI does not currently read an online jobs board for SUMCO, so openings are best checked on the company's own website. Arizona AI does not collect applications or charge job seekers.

Where is SUMCO in Arizona?

SUMCO Southwest Corporation's U.S. headquarters and polished-wafer plant is at 19801 N. Tatum Blvd., Phoenix, AZ 85050.

What does SUMCO make in Phoenix?

SUMCO's Phoenix plant is a 200 mm crystal and polished-wafer plant. It grows monocrystalline silicon ingots up to 200 millimeters in diameter by the Czochralski process, slices them into wafers and polishes the surfaces to a mirror finish for semiconductor manufacturing.

Who owns SUMCO and its Phoenix operation?

The parent SUMCO Corporation is publicly listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (3436) and headquartered in Tokyo. Its U.S. website identifies SUMCO Southwest Corporation as a wholly owned subsidiary of SUMCO Phoenix Corporation. Arizona Corporation Commission records list SUMCO Corporation as shareholder of SUMCO Phoenix Corporation.

When did the SUMCO Phoenix wafer factory open?

The company's Phoenix site history records groundbreaking in October 1995, construction completion in January 1997 and the first wafer shipment in June 1997. SUMCO Southwest Corporation was incorporated in Arizona on September 20, 1995.

How does SUMCO relate to AI chips?

Silicon wafers are the starting material on which chipmakers build circuits. SUMCO's Phoenix site makes polished 200 mm wafers, which places it at the materials stage of the chip supply chain, before chip fabrication and packaging.