Medical Design and Outsourcing

  • Home
  • Medical Device Business
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Financial
    • Regulatory
  • Applications
    • Cardiovascular
    • Devices
    • Imaging
    • Implantables
    • Medical Equipment
    • Orthopedic
    • Surgical
  • Technologies
    • Contract Manufacturing
    • Components
    • Electronics
    • Extrusions
    • Materials
    • Motion Control
    • Prototyping
    • Pumps
    • Tubing
  • Med Tech Resources
    • DeviceTalks Tuesdays
    • Digital Editions
    • eBooks
    • Manufacturer Search
    • Medical Device Handbook
    • MedTech 100 Index
    • Podcasts
    • Print Subscription
    • The Big 100
    • Webinars / Digital Events
    • Whitepapers
    • Video
  • 2022 Leadership in MedTech
    • 2022 Leadership Voting!
    • 2021 Winners
    • 2020 Winners
  • Women in Medtech

Texas power grid struggles in heat one year after record cold stopped semiconductor plants

May 16, 2022 By Jim Hammerand

Samsung workers in clean room gear walking down a corridor at a semiconductor fabrication plant

Samsung workers at a semiconductor fabrication plant [Photo courtesy of Samsung]

A heatwave in Texas took at least six power plants offline Friday, with high temperatures forecasted to blaze throughout this week.

A record cold snap in February 2021 took NXP Semiconductors and Samsung chip fabrication facilities offline for weeks, contributing to a global semicondcutor shortage that is still throttling medical device production.

There’s no indication yet that the power grid’s latest struggles will reduce or stop semiconductor production, but the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) has asked residents to curb their electricity use ahead of more heat.

“With unseasonably hot weather driving record demand across Texas, ERCOT continues to work closely with the power industry to make sure Texans have the power they need,” ERCOT Interim CEO Brad Jones said in a news release.

Medical Design & Outsourcing has requested more information from ERCOT, Samsung and NXP and will update this story when they respond.

Samsung plans to open a second Texas semiconductor fab in Taylor, near Samsung’s chip fab in Austin. The new plant is scheduled to go into operation in 2024.

When announcing the new facility in November, Samsung said it considered at least one other U.S. location but picked Taylor due to its proximity to the Austin plant as well as “the local semiconductor ecosystem, infrastructure stability, local government support and community development opportunities.”

The $17 billion project is South Korea-based Samsung’s largest investment in the U.S., the company said.

“With greater manufacturing capacity, we will be able to better serve the needs of our customers and contribute to the stability of the global semiconductor supply chain,” Samsung Electronics Device Solutions Division Head Dr. Kinam Kim said in the news release announcing the project.

That same month, Texas Instruments — which also makes semiconductors for the medtech industry — announced plans to build and open two semiconductor fabs in Sherman, north of Dallas. Production at the first fab is expected to start as early as 2025, and the project site could eventually have up to four new fabs at a cost of $30 billion.

Dallas-based Texas Instruments already has a fab in operation in Dallas and two expected to come online this year in Richardson, Texas.

Netherlands-based NXP has two fabs in Austin and is considering a $2.6 billion expansion there, the Austin-American Statesman reported last week. Operations could start as soon as 2026.

You may also like:

  • A portrait of BD CEO Tom Polen
    Medtech CEOs sound off on semiconductor shortage, pushing Biden administration…

  • An even larger medtech supply chain shock looms beyond the…

Related Articles Read More >

FDA logo
FDA can’t explain drop in device recalls, but experts point to COVID disruptions
A portrait of Greg Smith, Medtronic's EVP of global operations and supply chain
Supply Chain EVP Greg Smith sees fewer suppliers in Medtronic’s future
Kahle Automation's new logo, including the logo of its new owner, BBS Automation
BBS Automation has a deal to buy medtech supplier Kahle Automation
A portrait of Dexcom VP of Global Clinical Initiatives Tomas Walker
Dexcom focuses on early diabetes diagnosis as COVID links emerge

DeviceTalks Weekly.

July 1, 2022
Boston Scientific CEO Mike Mahoney on building a corporate culture that drives high growth results
See More >

MDO Digital Edition

Digital Edition

Subscribe to Medical Design & Outsourcing. Bookmark, share and interact with the leading medical design engineering magazine today.

MEDTECH 100 INDEX

Medtech 100 logo
Market Summary > Current Price
The MedTech 100 is a financial index calculated using the BIG100 companies covered in Medical Design and Outsourcing.
DeviceTalks

DeviceTalks is a conversation among medical technology leaders. It's events, podcasts, webinars and one-on-one exchanges of ideas & insights.

DeviceTalks

New MedTech Resource

Medical Tubing

Enewsletter Subscriptions

Enewsletter Subscriptions

MassDevice

Mass Device

The Medical Device Business Journal. MassDevice is the leading medical device news business journal telling the stories of the devices that save lives.

Visit Website
MDO ad
Medical Design and Outsourcing
  • MassDevice
  • DeviceTalks
  • MedTech 100 Index
  • Medical Tubing + Extrusion
  • Drug Delivery Business News
  • Drug Discovery & Development
  • Pharmaceutical Processing World
  • R&D World
  • About Us/Contact
  • Advertise With Us
  • Subscribe to Print Magazine
  • Subscribe to E-newsletter
  • Attend our Monthly Webinars
  • Listen to our Weekly Podcasts
  • Join our DeviceTalks Tuesdays Discussion

Copyright © 2022 WTWH Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media LLC. Site Map | Privacy Policy | RSS

Search Medical Design & Outsourcing

  • Home
  • Medical Device Business
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Financial
    • Regulatory
  • Applications
    • Cardiovascular
    • Devices
    • Imaging
    • Implantables
    • Medical Equipment
    • Orthopedic
    • Surgical
  • Technologies
    • Contract Manufacturing
    • Components
    • Electronics
    • Extrusions
    • Materials
    • Motion Control
    • Prototyping
    • Pumps
    • Tubing
  • Med Tech Resources
    • DeviceTalks Tuesdays
    • Digital Editions
    • eBooks
    • Manufacturer Search
    • Medical Device Handbook
    • MedTech 100 Index
    • Podcasts
    • Print Subscription
    • The Big 100
    • Webinars / Digital Events
    • Whitepapers
    • Video
  • 2022 Leadership in MedTech
    • 2022 Leadership Voting!
    • 2021 Winners
    • 2020 Winners
  • Women in Medtech