Apple has announced a new US$410 million award from its Advanced Manufacturing Fund for II-VI, a manufacturer of optical technology. Today’s award builds on an initial $390 million awarded from Apple’s Advanced Manufacturing Fund in 2017.
The expansion of the company’s long-standing relationship with II-VI will create additional capacity and accelerate delivery of future components for iPhone, with 700 jobs in Sherman, Texas; Warren, New Jersey; Easton, Pennsylvania; and Champaign, Illinois.
II-VI manufactures vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) that help power Face ID, Memoji, Animoji, and Portrait mode selfies. Apple also works with II-VI to manufacture lasers used in the LiDAR Scanner — technology that helps deliver faster, more realistic augmented reality experiences and improves autofocus in low-light scenes in photos and videos.
Apple began working with II-VI in Sherman, Texas, in 2017 as part of the company’s Advanced Manufacturing Fund, which helped transform a long-shuttered, 700,000-square-foot building into a high-tech manufacturing facility and created hundreds of local jobs. Through close collaboration with Apple engineering and operations teams, the company has rapidly increased production in the past year to enable record shipments from the Sherman facility, says Jeff Williams, Apple’s chief operating officer.
Apple’s expanded partnership with II-VI is part of the company’s plans to invest $430 billion and add 20,000 new jobs across the US over the next five years. Apple’s contributions include working with more than 9,000 suppliers across the country who are supporting American job creation across dozens of sectors, including silicon engineering, 5G, and manufacturing.
To support innovation and high-skilled manufacturing jobs across the U.S., Apple established its Advanced Manufacturing Fund in 2017. The $5 billion fund has supported a number of projects to date, including $450 million in awards to Corning Incorporated in Harrodsburg, Kentucky, which led to the creation of Ceramic Shield, a new material that’s tougher than any other smartphone glass.
Apple says it supports 2.7 million jobs across all 50 states through direct employment, spending with US suppliers and manufacturers, and the iOS app economy.
