Air Liquide Invests Over $160 Million in US to Supply Advanced Chip Manufacturing
Air Liquide is investing over $160 million to build a new Arizona facility supplying ultra-high-purity gases, including low-carbon hydrogen, to a leading chipmaker's fab expansion, starting operations in 2028.
Air Liquide announced a new investment of over $160 million to build, own, and operate a new large-scale production facility in Arizona to supply essential ultra-high-purity gases to the latest fab expansion of a global leader in advanced semiconductor nodes. Building on Air Liquide’s existing presence at the site, this new contract highlights the customer's continued trust in the Group’s ability to reliably support its significant expansion. With this investment, the company reinforces its position as an essential partner to support the American semiconductor boom and the domestic supply chain for AI technologies.
Set to begin operations in 2028, Air Liquide’s state-of-the-art facility will deliver, among other gases, in particular ultra-pure, low-carbon hydrogen with carbon capture technology. Essential for semiconductor manufacturing, hydrogen is primarily used in wafer manufacturing, annealing, and removing surface oxides during the most sensitive chip manufacturing processes.
To provide the extreme precision and reliability needed to manufacture the most advanced chips driving tomorrow’s AI infrastructure and high-performance computing, Air Liquide will operate its hydrogen production and carbon capture units directly on-site, at the customer’s fab. The group will also leverage its existing local infrastructure to maximize operational efficiency. Furthermore, the CO₂ captured on-site will be liquefied and purified to supply the customer's high-purity gas needs. This will contribute to reducing the carbon footprint of the hydrogen used in the chip manufacturing process.
Matthieu Giard, Group Executive Committee member, notably supervising operations in the Americas, stated: "This new investment underscores advanced chip manufacturers’ confidence in Air Liquide’s capacity to ensure reliable, cost-effective supply of critical ultra-pure gases required to power the AI revolution domestically, sustainably and with uncompromising quality. As semiconductor manufacturers are increasingly reshoring their activities in the US, we successfully support their growth ambitions thanks to our leading, unique and comprehensive expertise in the Electronics sector.”
