Another semiconductor manufacturer is setting up shop in east Vancouver.
Chinese-based YST Semiconductor Technology Corporation leased 150,000 square feet at the Vancouver Innovation Center, the Columbia River Economic Development Council announced Tuesday.
“Clark County’s quality of life and skilled workforce are two primary draws for YST,” Peter Zhang, CEO of YST, said in Tuesday’s news release.
The CREDC said the Chinese company plans to invest $100 million and employ 100 people in the first phase of its Vancouver operations.
YST makes optoelectronic devices — computer chips that combine light with semiconductors. They’re used in the telecommunications and information technology industries.
The CREDC said the project will bring YST’s advanced manufacturing closer to its U.S. customers.
Jennifer Baker, president and CEO of CREDC, said the move will add high wage, economy-bolstering tech jobs to Clark County.
Semiconductor companies in Clark County employ nearly three-quarters of the industry’s workers in the state, according to the Washington Employment Security Department. And Clark College’s mechatronics program provides semiconductor and electronic manufacturing training.
Camas is home to two semiconductor manufacturers, Analog Devices and TSMC. The county also has a robust electronics and semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem, which has grown since companies including SEH America came to Vancouver more than 40 years ago.
The Vancouver Innovation Center was once home to HP Inc., but New York developers New Blueprint Partners and Rabina bought the property in 2020. The team worked to renovate the campus’s existing buildings and plans to develop the surrounding property into a mixed-use community with retail space, residential buildings, parks and trails.
