Texas Instruments' Lehi plant lays off workers despite current expansion
Texas Instruments conducted a round of layoffs at its Lehi plant in late March despite being in the midst of a major expansion driven by $1.6 billion in U.S. Department of Commerce CHIPS Act funding.
"Texas Instruments made some organizational changes at our site in Lehi to ensure we are positioned to efficiently support our long-term operational plans," Texas Instruments said in a statement to the Provo Daily Herald. "These changes included eliminating some roles."
Texas Instruments has not specified how many positions were eliminated or whether the cuts affected workers companywide. Posts on social media suggested the layoffs may have been around 30 percent of the Lehi workforce.
In December, Texas Instruments announced the receipt of the CHIPS Act grants, including $1.6 billion to help the company build or enlarge three 300-millimeter semiconductor wafer fabrication plants under construction in Utah and Texas and up to $10 million to support workforce development.
TI broke ground on the new Lehi plant, dubbed LFAB2 -- the "L" stands for Lehi -- in November 2023 and will manufacture analog and embedded processing chips. At the time, the company said the Utah investment would reach $11 billion, including a $9 million investment into the Alpine School District to promote STEM learning opportunities for students. TI said the development would create 800 jobs.
Texas Instruments continues to stand behind its commitment to Utah, its statement said.
"Utah continues to be an important part of our manufacturing footprint and company strategy, as we build the geopolitically dependable capacity our customers will need for decades to come. Our long-term commitment to Utah, which includes building another fab in Lehi, remains unchanged," the company concluded.