SkyWater Florida achieves DMEA Category 1A Trusted Supplier accreditation

SkyWater Technology, the trusted technology realization partner, announced its advanced packaging operation in Florida has been accredited as a Category 1A Trusted Supplier by the Defense Microelectronics Activity (DMEA) of the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD). This designation furthers SkyWater’s dedication to delivering trusted and secure microelectronics manufacturing for critical defense applications. The facility SkyWater owns and operates in Minnesota originally achieved DMEA Category 1A Trusted status in 2010 and was re-accredited when SkyWater was founded in 2017.

DMEA Category 1A Trusted Supplier accreditation represents the highest level of trust and reliability in semiconductor manufacturing and demonstrates SkyWater’s unwavering commitment to meeting stringent security standards for the nation’s defense-related applications. Trust is established through rigorous evaluations of the integrity of both the personnel and procedures they employ in the design, fabrication, and distribution of critical national security components. With this accreditation, 100% of SkyWater’s operations are Trusted, which underscores the company’s prominent position in the aerospace and defense industry and is part of its strategy to continue building a domestic semiconductor ecosystem.

“SkyWater’s standing as a Trusted Supplier is not only essential for those customers who require it; our security posture benefits other government and commercial customers as well,” says SkyWater CEO Thomas Sonderman. “With very little advanced packaging taking place in the U.S., this poses national security and economic risks. By reshoring this critical step, we can assure the integrity, quality and confidentiality of the design and manufacturing of microelectronics systems that are vital to our national defense.”

In January, SkyWater Florida announced the kick-off of a significant new DOD effort to expand domestic fan-out wafer level packaging capabilities. This initiative, facilitated by a five-year DOD contract valued up to $190 million, was awarded to Osceola County and SkyWater to fund the facilitation, tooling and build-out of the Florida facility. Achieving Trust accreditation currently goes beyond the program’s development requirements and further demonstrates SkyWater’s commitment to best serving the needs of the DOD.

“The accreditation of SkyWater’s Florida site extends our partnership, reinforcing and bolstering our domestic microelectronics manufacturing capacity,” says Dr. Nicholas Martin, DMEA Director. “The Trusted Supplier accreditation remains a cornerstone in semiconductor assurance, guaranteeing the DOD assured access to a variety of securely manufactured chips essential in fortifying our defense systems. This new facility accreditation expands the Trusted domestic supplier base for DOD programs requiring access to secure packaging.”