Seoul Economic Daily reported that Samsung plans to shift some STM32V8 microcontroller production to Austin, Texas, for use in SpaceX’s Starlink satellites, while output in France is expected to continue.
Samsung and STMicroelectronics jointly developed the microcontroller. It uses an 18-nanometer fully depleted silicon-on-insulator process, known as FD-SOI. The chip is currently made at STMicroelectronics’ Crolles plant in France, with some output planned for Austin.
The Austin expansion carries a $1.9 billion price tag within Samsung’s roughly $37 billion Texas commitment. Federal support for Samsung’s Texas plans under the CHIPS Act could reach $4.745 billion.
Samsung aims to have the Austin site operationally capable by 2030. It plans specialty chip production for aerospace, defense and automotive markets.
In Taylor, Samsung is focusing on advanced AI chips, with Tesla and Nvidia among its customers. Austin’s 2030 operational-capacity target is the next stated milestone for the site.
