News: Suppliers
22 September 2026
5N+ to expand production facility in St. George, Utah by 50%
Specialty semiconductor and performance materials producer 5N Plus Inc (5N+) of Montréal, Québec, Canada plans to expand its US facility in St. George, Utah by about 50%. The expansion project aims to provide a capital-efficient and scalable platform to grow 5N+’s advanced materials capabilities for defence, space solar, medical imaging and industrial sensing applications. It will also contribute to strengthening the resilience of strategic North American critical mineral transformation supply chains.
The additional manufacturing and product-development space will improve site workflows and install new equipment, allowing 5N+ to progressively grow its team of engineers and materials scientists, and increase production capacity. While construction is ongoing, 5N+ engineers, technicians and third-party equipment manufacturers will assemble critical equipment offsite, to accelerate installation once construction is complete and capacity ramp-up. Construction is expected to begin in third-quarter 2026 and to be completed by second-half 2027.
“5N+ has deep expertise transforming critical minerals and, over the past several years, our St. George team has solidified its position as a trusted partner in strategic US and global supply chains,” says 5N+’s president & CEO Richard Perron. “The customer relationships we have built across government and industry, combined with deliberate investments in our talent and technology, have positioned St. George for further growth, including within the US defence industrial base,” he adds.
“Expanding our existing St. George facility will create a capital-efficient and scalable platform to increase our capacity in step with customer demand, leveraging the site’s established operations, experienced team and technical expertise. Our project execution plan will also accelerate time to market for customer-backed opportunities, while having an expanded facility will provide flexibility to support additional growth over time across our core end markets.”
The expansion project follows two recently announced US government awards supporting capabilities being developed in St. George over the coming years, as well partnerships with US defence customers.
The St. George facility, wholly owned by 5N+ since 2014, transforms germanium, indium antimonide, gallium arsenide, cadmium telluride and cadmium zinc telluride into high-value semiconductor materials, wafers, substrates and selected components. Applications range from infrared optics and defence electro-optical systems to space solar power and medical CT scanners. The team supports established customer applications while working closely with customers and partners to develop and qualify new materials and products for emerging and next-generation uses. Its integrated capabilities span material recovery, refining and purification, along with semiconductor crystal growth, precision cutting and polishing, and specialized product and process development. The breadth and integration of these capabilities support long-term customer relationships in markets with demanding qualification and performance requirements.
The St. George expansion project, including the gradual installation of new equipment, will be funded within the firm’s existing capital expenditure plans and support from customers.
5N+ awarded US$7.3m to establish US production of GaAs components for defence applications
5N+ awarded $18.1m US grant to boost germanium production capacity
