OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. – Osceola County officials are celebrating a big step forward for NeoCity.
Osceola County was recently awarded a 5 year, $120 million contract with the Department of Defense.
According to the county, the contract will position Osceola County at the forefront of the nation’s efforts to produce next-generation microchips for the U.S. military.
“It’s a chance for the U.S. to not only, again, be a manufacturer, but to be the leading manufacturer,” said SkyWater Technology CEO Thomas Sonderman. “I like to remind everyone we invented this industry, and we will dominate this industry again for the rest of this century.”
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SkyWater Technology will produce microsystems made up of smaller microchips that power the technology used in our cellphones, drones and satellites.
“Think of it as better reliability, better quality, more functionality and a smaller space,” Sonderman said.
“While it’s a major step forward for NeoCity, county officials said this opportunity can provide more jobs in Osceola county outside of the tourism and agriculture industries.
“It’s anywhere from, projections from 4,000 to 16,000 direct jobs, 20,000 to 80,000 indirect jobs, because it’s more than just the one person who’s working in the lab,” said Osceola County Manager Don Fisher. “It’s the ecosystem around it.”
Also in the contract are opportunities for an additional $169 million in funding — potentially bringing the total award amount up to $269 million.
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