TapTechNews May 14th news, the US federal government recently announced plans to provide up to $120 million in direct subsidies to specialty foundry Polar Semiconductor as part of the Chip and Science Act. Polar is a high-voltage semiconductor wafer foundry headquartered in Minnesota, USA, specializing in automotive-grade chip foundry services, with products covering analog chips, power semiconductors, and sensors. In addition to federal subsidies, Polar will also receive a $75 million investment from the Minnesota state government. Polar will invest at least $525 million over the next two years to double the capacity of its 8-inch wafer fab in Bloomington, Minnesota to about 40,000 wafers per month, and adopt new automation and artificial intelligence technologies to expand and modernize its manufacturing facilities. This investment will enhance Polar's supply capabilities in key industries such as automotive, aerospace, and healthcare in the US, and create at least 160 direct jobs locally. Polar Semiconductor President and COO Surya Iyer said, 'We are excited to announce this historic investment in semiconductor manufacturing in Minnesota. Our expanded manufacturing facility will allow us to increase capacity and venture into innovative technologies to serve new customers and markets.'