Pure Wafer Acquired by Top Private Equity Group, ZMC

New York Based PE Group's Investments to Drive New Growth Phase Including Investments in Advanced Technology and Fab Capacity Expansion

San Jose, California and Prescott, Arizona--(Newsfile Corp. - November 13, 2024) - Pure Wafer, America's largest and most advanced supplier of silicon solutions and services announced today that leading New York - based, private equity group, ZMC, has acquired the Company, which includes its six key, synergistic silicon services and solutions businesses: silicon wafer reclaim, thin-films, parts cleaning, wafer brokerage, wafer management and specialty foundry services. With the acquisition by ZMC, Pure Wafer will undertake a new growth phase with substantial investments in fab capacity expansion across its U.S. wafer fab operations, including significant investment in advanced technology and tooling to meet the demand of top semiconductor original equipment makers (OEMs) and the semiconductor integrated device manufacturers (IDMs) they serve.

Since 2019, Pure Wafer has grown significantly expanding its footprint among semiconductor OEMs and IDMs alike. In the process, it has greatly expanded its product offerings with the addition of new parts cleaning, foundry, films and wafer management businesses to augment its silicon reclaim and wager brokerage businesses. This has firmly established Pure Wafer as the largest and most advanced silicon solutions company in the USA. Now, through the ZMC acquisition, an injection of new resources and other support will be provided to the Company which will enable the management team to fuel the next wave of Pure Wafer growth.

"A shared vision and an understanding of the commitment needed to drive a winning growth plan underpins this inspiring new partnership," commented S. Mark Borowicz, CEO, Pure Wafer. "ZMC's investment in advanced technology, operational capabilities and equipment to drive growth will help us extend our leadership and enhance our unique offerings to more quickly meet the needs of new and existing semiconductor customers."

"Worldwide semiconductor demand is surging, and we are excited to support Pure Wafer's expansion plan to meet this moment," said Andrew Vogel, co-Chief Investment Officer and Managing Partner at ZMC.  "The investment in Pure Wafer emanates from ZMC's thematic focus on the explosion of data stemming from technological innovation. We are impressed with what the team at Pure Wafer has built, its continued focus on technological innovation and strong industry leadership. We are excited to partner with them in this next growth phase."

About Pure Wafer

Pure Wafer is America's the largest and most advanced supplier of silicon wafer solutions and services to the global semiconductor manufacturing industry. Operating three semiconductor wafer fabs in the United States, Pure Wafer supplies a comprehensive range of silicon solutions, including prime grade silicon wafer reclaim, from 50mm to 300mm.  Pure Wafer is also the official exclusive worldwide seller of thin- films for Lam Research Corporation, the semiconductor industry number one supplier of thin film deposition equipment. In addition, the company offers a broad range of complementary silicon services, including foundry services, parts cleaning, wafer brokerage and wafer management services.

ZMC is a leading private equity firm comprised of experienced investors and executives who invest in and manage a diverse group of media, entertainment, communications and technology enterprises. Founded in 2001, ZMC's investment philosophy centers on operational value creation driven by targeted investment themes, deep sector expertise, and strong partnerships with industry and operating executives. ZMC approaches its investments in collaboration with management teams and has a successful track record of actively adding value to portfolio companies. For more information, visit www.zmclp.com.

Editor Notes

Semiconductor customers utilize Pure Wafer's silicon solutions and services to address their complex process challenges. It starts by providing the customer with a silicon wafer then supporting it with a wide range of synergistic processes that include wafer reclaim; thin films; specialty foundry services; cleans, wafer brokerage and wafer software management. Due to the high costs of prime grade silicon and the large volumes consumed, customers treat and reclaim silicon wafers so they can be re-used multiple times. Specialty semiconductor foundry services Pure Wafer sister company, provided through NOEL Technologies provides single and multi- layer pattern process development and optimization. As the exclusive supplier of 300MM thin films for Lam Research, Pure Wafer films offers the industry the broadest array of thin-films, including SiO2, TEOS, SiN, a-Si, ARL, SiON and more. Its parts cleaning services cleans critical parts used by the world's top chip manufacturers and support a broad range of technology nodes. A thriving wafer brokerage business resells wafers sourced from the top five global manufacturers and its innovative wafer management software and warehouse logistics assures customers a 99.99% uptime for 12 years running. As a result of these synergistic silicon solutions, customers have come to trust Pure Wafer for all their silicon needs.

The semiconductor industry is expected to surpass $1 trillion by 2030 powered by demand for a diverse range of disruptive technologies and emerging applications - from AI, autonomous and electric vehicles, and high-performance computing to 6G and autonomous machines . The SEMI trade association expects 109 new wafer fabs to be commissioned by 2026 to support this growth with many being set up in the United States. According to SEMI, 89 of these planned multi-billion-dollar wafer fabs have already broken ground and begun equipping or construction. Additional semiconductor wafer fabs will be required by the end of the decade to meet the heightened demand for AI chips in the USA. As a marketing leading provider of unique silicon solutions in the North America, Pure Wafer is ideally positioned to support this demand.

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