UK company shoots a 1000-degree furnace into space to study off-world chip manufacturing — semiconductors made in space could be 'up to 4,000 times purer' than Earthly equivalents

A UK company, Space Forge, has successfully activated a 1000-degree furnace in space as part of its project to explore off-world chip manufacturing. The company aims to produce semiconductors in space, which could be significantly purer than those made on Earth due to microgravity conditions and reduced atmospheric contaminants. Space Forge's CEO mentioned that these space-manufactured semiconductors could be up to 4,000 times purer than current Earth-made ones, potentially leading to more efficient electronic devices like 5G towers and EV chargers. While the project faces complexities, such as transporting finished products back to Earth, other companies like Besxar are also exploring orbital fabs to reduce resource consumption and improve wafer purity.