Securing America's Tech Edge: PCL Construction's Approach To Building Semiconductor Fabs

Semiconductor manufacturing is poised for rapid growth in the U.S. due to a combination of the rise of artificial intelligence, national security concerns and a renewed focus on improving supply chain resilience. 

Since 2022, the CHIPS and Science Act has been instrumental in not only reviving domestic manufacturing but also attracting more foreign investors to move or build semiconductor facilities in the United States. 

This expanded in July with the passing of President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The legislation encouraged global companies, such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Intel, Samsung and Micron, to invest in the U.S. for their new fabrication plants, or fabs. By selecting states like Arizona, Ohio and Texas for their next semiconductor manufacturing facilities, as opposed to building plants overseas, companies could avoid costly tariffs and take advantage of tax incentives.

As director of national manufacturing for PCL Construction, Andrew Ahrendt oversees the company’s advanced technology manufacturing operations. He said reshoring semiconductor production is a significant move for national security. 

“As an essential component in microchips, semiconductors are instrumental to aerospace and defense technology, in addition to powering smartphones, computers and devices people use every day,” Ahrendt said. “Manufacturing these critical materials in the U.S. gives us more oversight in how these devices are programmed, as well as maintaining a global technological edge.” 

Ahrendt said that the drive to increase domestic manufacturing quickly has factored into site selection. Companies are also now developing in clusters, building multiple steps of the supply chain in proximity to each other. 

“For example, you might have a chip foundry next to a packaging plant so that chips can be packaged on the same campus,” Ahrendt said. 

Construction strategies such as prefabrication and modular construction are helping semiconductor facilities to be built and brought online faster. Prefabrication is the process of manufacturing building components off-site in a controlled environment, then transporting them to the semiconductor facility for rapid assembly. This approach improves quality, reduces construction time and minimizes on-site disruptions. 

Modular construction takes prefabrication a step further by creating entire sections or “modules” of a facility — such as process bays, utility racks or even complete clean room pods — off-site. These modules are delivered and installed as large, preassembled units, enabling faster project delivery and greater flexibility for complex semiconductor manufacturing environments.

The increasingly technical nature of advanced manufacturing construction has created a demand for skilled workers, such as technicians and R&D engineers. However, it has been a challenge to fill these specialized jobs.

Ahrendt said that collaborating with local trade unions, apprenticeships and colleges can help companies find skilled workers. Semiconductor companies may also be able to get financial support for hiring apprentices who help meet workforce development initiatives.

“Contractors must have a mindset of investing in workforce development,” he said. “These are well-paying construction and technical jobs. There are open positions which need to be filled, such as engineers, pipefitters, electricians and operators. We’re seeing increased competition among states offering firms incentives to bring jobs and investment to their regions.”

Ahrendt said global concerns around security and intelligence aren’t going away, and this is only fueling PCL to help its semiconductor clients accelerate their prefab builds and shorten construction timelines with advanced technology. 

“By committing to smart and sustainable design and leveraging tools such as AI and digital twins, PCL is helping to drive the next evolution of semiconductor manufacturing construction,” he said. “It’s an exciting time to be involved in U.S. manufacturing onshoring.” 

This article was produced in collaboration between PCL Construction and Studio B. Bisnow news staff was not involved in the production of this content.

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