The reshoring of critical semiconductor and energy infrastructure is an American priority. Securing domestic production of polysilicon, a critical material in the production of semiconductor wafers and solar panels, is Highland Materials’ mission.

Polysilicon is a strategic resource and a critical material for energy, national defense, artificial intelligence and data centers.  It is on the US Government’s Critical Minerals List for its centrality to the semiconductor and energy supply chains, and polysilicon producers can benefit from support programs run by the US Department of Commerce, Department of Energy, and Export-Import Bank. Since 2020, U.S. companies and the Federal government have spent $700B to bring the production of semiconductors and solar panels onshore.

Currently, more than 90% of ultrapure polysilicon produced worldwide is made in China. Highland Materials is a U.S.-based technology company that has revolutionized silicon wafer manufacturing by leveraging and extending the limited supplies of domestic ultrapure polysilicon production with a cost-effective, environmentally friendly process to accelerate America’s path to independence.

A Better Solution

Highland Materials has a patent-protected silicon purification technology to produce ultrapure polysilicon that is used to manufacture semiconductor wafers and solar panels, proven through years of commercial production.

The combined U.S. onshore semiconductor and solar manufacturing industries generated over $150 billion in revenue in 2026.  Wafer manufacturing creates staggering waste: 40-50% of the ultrapure polysilicon raw material is lost as sawdust (“kerf loss”): globally, an estimated 660 thousand metric tons worth $8 billion were wasted [in 2025]. Highland Materials has patented the only proven process that can upcycle kerf loss, recapturing that wasted material and closing the loop by feeding it back into the supply chain.

We are developing the first large-scale U.S. commercial facility to use this patented process in Eastern Tennessee.

A Faster Solution

Highland Materials can construct and make its Tennessee facility ready for operations in half the time (less than two years from the beginning of construction) and on a footprint 1/6th the size of a comparable Siemens processing facility. The Highland Materials process is inherently safer for workers and the environment, producing no hazardous by-products. This can be achieved with U.S. sourced equipment, eliminating trade or tariff issues.

A More Cost-Effective Solution

Highland Materials has a patented, proprietary process that is the only known method for recovering kerf loss. The process results in 70% lower costs, using 75% less energy and producing 75% less greenhouse gas emissions compared to the standard process for producing virgin polysilicon. As a result, U.S. wafer manufacturers can improve their security of supply and carbon footprint while reducing their cost of materials.