KUALA LUMPUR, March 30 (Xinhua) -- The World Bank Group, through its private-sector arm the International Finance Corporation (IFC), is partnering with OCI TerraSus Sdn. Bhd. (OCI TRS), a subsidiary of South Korea's OCI Holdings Co., Ltd., to build Southeast Asia's first semiconductor-grade polysilicon manufacturing facility in Malaysia.
The duo said in a statement on Monday that through a joint venture with Japan's Tokuyama Corporation, they will develop a clean energy-powered manufacturing facility for ultra-high purity semiconductor-grade polysilicon in Bintulu, Sarawak.
IFC will provide OCI TRS with an A-loan of up to 125 million U.S. dollars, which will primarily be used to construct the state-of-the-art manufacturing facility.
Once completed, the facility will be powered by clean and renewable energy and will produce essential raw materials for silicon wafers and semiconductor chips, creating high-quality jobs.
"This partnership goes beyond supporting physical infrastructure," said Lee Woo Hyun, chairman of OCI Holdings and OCI TerraSus. "As demand grows for semiconductors and artificial intelligence, the importance of high-purity materials will continue to increase."
Judith Green, World Bank Group country manager for Malaysia, said the project marks IFC's first project in Sarawak. "Malaysia has significant ambitions to move up the value chain in value-added manufacturing industries, which are significant creators of jobs, making them a key area of focus for the World Bank Group." ■