SkyWater Strengthens Commercial Leadership with Appointment of Christine Dunbar

Key Terms

semiconductor foundry technical

A semiconductor foundry is a specialized factory that manufactures silicon chips used in electronic devices. These foundries produce chips designed by other companies, acting like a contract manufacturer for complex electronic components. Investors pay attention to them because their capacity and efficiency can influence the supply of vital technology products and impact the broader electronics market.

advanced packaging technical

Advanced packaging describes modern methods for arranging, connecting and enclosing semiconductor chips so they work together more efficiently in a smaller space—think of stacking and wiring tiny electronic building blocks instead of leaving them as separate items on a circuit board. It matters to investors because these techniques can boost product speed, reduce power use, shrink device size and lower manufacturing costs, all of which influence a maker’s competitiveness, profit margins and market share.

wafer services technical

Wafer services are the set of manufacturing and processing steps applied to semiconductor wafers—the thin, round slices of silicon that become computer chips—including cleaning, patterning, wiring, testing, thinning and cutting. For investors, wafer services matter because they sit at the heart of chip supply chains: demand, pricing and the capacity of these services directly affect a chipmaker’s ability to deliver products, profit margins and the pace of technology rollouts, much like a busy bakery determines how quickly and reliably bread reaches stores.

Veteran Semiconductor Executive to Lead Sales and Solutions Engineering and Drive Growth Across ATS, Wafer Services and Advanced Packaging

BLOOMINGTON, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- SkyWater Technology (NASDAQ: SKYT), the largest exclusively U.S.-based pure-play semiconductor foundry, today announced the appointment of Christine Dunbar as senior vice president of sales and solutions engineering, reporting directly to President and COO John Sakamoto. In her role, Dunbar will focus on accelerating customer acquisition and scaling growth across the company’s core platforms. She joins as SkyWater continues to build on its commercial momentum and expand its domestic foundry capacity, including its recently acquired 200mm Fab 25 facility.

“SkyWater’s growth is driven by our ability to translate customer needs into scalable platforms that support long-term partnerships,” said Thomas Sonderman, Chief Executive Officer of SkyWater Technology. “Delivering on that strategy requires strong commercial leadership and deep customer engagement, qualities that have defined Christine’s leadership. Her technical fluency, business acumen, and commercial rigor will strengthen our execution and drive sustained growth across commercial and government markets.”

Dunbar brings nearly three decades of semiconductor industry experience spanning advanced development and high-volume semiconductor manufacturing, positioning her to help scale SkyWater’s operations. Most recently, Dunbar served as head of strategic partnership development at Natcast, helping shape collaboration across the U.S. semiconductor ecosystem. She has held senior roles at IBM Microelectronics, GlobalFoundries and IQE, including leadership of global commercial organizations and multi-billion-dollar product and business portfolios.

“SkyWater has built a strong foundation for delivering advanced, trusted semiconductor solutions,” said Dunbar. “It’s an honor to be a part of this organization, and I look forward to partnering with our customers to help translate their ideas into scalable solutions. Having worked across the semiconductor supply chain, I’m committed to strengthening collaboration and ensuring our expanded domestic capabilities deliver meaningful value to those we serve.

Dunbar’s hire reinforces SkyWater’s focus on scaling its U.S.-based semiconductor platforms and expanding domestic foundry capacity to support critical infrastructure and ensure long-term U.S. technology leadership.

About SkyWater

SkyWater Technology (NASDAQ: SKYT) is largest U.S.-based, pure-play semiconductor foundry. A trusted partner to both commercial customers and federal defense programs, SkyWater’s Technology as a Service model empowers innovators to bring emerging technologies like quantum computing and next-generation systems from concept to reality. With state-of-the-art facilities in Minnesota, Florida, and Texas, SkyWater specializes in foundational nodes and advanced packaging to support the nation’s critical infrastructure, strengthen supply chain resilience, and ensure long-term U.S. technology leadership. SkyWater is a DMEA-accredited Category 1A Trusted Foundry. To learn more, visit www.skywatertechnology.com.

SkyWater Technology Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains “forward-looking” statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements that are based on the Company’s current expectations or forecasts of future events, rather than past events and outcomes, and such statements are not guarantees of future performance. Forward-looking statements include all statements other than statements of historical fact contained in this press release, including information or predictions concerning the Company’s future business, results of operations, financial performance, plans and objectives, competitive position, market trends, and potential growth and market opportunities. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by words such as “intends,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “potential,” “continues,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “expects,” “believes,” “should,” “could,” “may,” “will,” “targets,” “projects,” “seeks” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology.

Forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions, which may cause the Company’s actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Key factors that could cause the Company’s actual results to be different than expected or anticipated include, but are not limited to: our goals and strategies; our future business development, financial condition and results of operations; our ability to continue operating our fabrication facilities at full capacity; our ability to appropriately respond to changing technologies on a timely and cost-effective basis; our customer relationships and our ability to retain and expand our customer relationships; our ability to accurately predict our future revenues for the purpose of appropriately budgeting and adjusting our expenses; our expectations regarding dependence on our largest customers; our ability to diversify our customer base and develop relationships in new markets, our ability to integrate the operations of the Fab 25 facility with our operations and risks associated with operating the Fab 25 facility; the performance and reliability of our third-party suppliers and manufacturers; our ability to procure tools, materials, and chemicals; our ability to control costs, including our operating and capital expenses; the size and growth potential of the markets for our solutions, and our ability to serve and expand our presence in those markets; the level of demand in our customers’ end markets; our ability to attract, train and retain key qualified personnel; adverse litigation judgments, settlements or other litigation-related costs; changes in trade policies, including the imposition of or increase in tariffs; our ability to raise additional capital or financing; our ability to accurately forecast demand; changes in local, regional, national and international economic or political conditions, including those resulting from increases in inflation and interest rates, a recession, or intensified international hostilities; the level and timing of U.S. government program funding; our ability to maintain compliance with certain U.S. government contracting requirements; regulatory developments in the United States and foreign countries; our ability to protect our intellectual property rights; and other factors discussed in the “Risk Factors” section of the Annual Report on Form 10-K the Company filed with the SEC on March 14, 2025 and the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q the Company filed with the SEC on August 07, 2025 and in other documents that the Company files with the SEC, which are available at http://www.sec.gov. The Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release.

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MEDIA CONTACT

Tammy Swanson, Sr. Director Corporate Communications, SkyWater Technology Tammy.swanson@skywatertechnology.com

Source: SkyWater Technology