Washington County commissioners are voting Aug. 4 on a 15-year tax break for Lam Research that would clear the way for a $1.7 billion expansion of the semiconductor equipment maker's Tualatin campus, a major bet on the Beaverton area's Silicon Forest at a time when the region's chip industry is reeling.

The deal, negotiated under Oregon's Strategic Investment Program, would partially abate property taxes on Lam's "TuX" project: 210,000 square feet of new office, laboratory and industrial space on the company's 76-acre campus along Southwest Leveton Drive.

The Board of Commissioners is scheduled to take up the proposal at 10 a.m. The vote outcome had not been confirmed at publication time.

What Beaverton-area workers stand to gain

Lam already employs roughly 3,000 people in Washington County and opened a $65 million, 120,000-square-foot office building in Tualatin in November 2025 with space for 700 workers.

The TuX expansion is projected to add 445 permanent research and engineering jobs paying an average of $173,000 a year, roughly triple Oregon's average wage, according to The Oregonian. The construction phase alone would support about 1,420 jobs and generate $519.6 million in economic output within the county, per an economic analysis prepared by Optimal Solutions Group.

One caveat: the agreement does not legally require Lam to add any positions. The job projections are estimates, not contractual obligations.

The tax math

Under the deal, Lam would pay an estimated $84 million in property taxes over 15 years, plus $27 million in additional fees, totaling roughly $111 million, KOIN 6 reported.

The exact value of the abatement itself is exempt from public disclosure under state law because it includes confidential material from Lam's application.

For scale, Intel currently receives more than $200 million per year in SIP tax breaks for its Hillsboro and Aloha sites.

The investment arrives as Oregon's semiconductor industry sits at a 15-year low, battered by severe setbacks at Intel that triggered thousands of local layoffs. Statewide manufacturing employment has also hit a 15-year trough.

"For more than 20 years, Lam Research has partnered with Washington County to shape the semiconductor ecosystem in the Silicon Forest, create high-quality jobs, and invest in our communities," Sesha Varadarajan, Lam's executive vice president and chief operating officer, said in a July 31 news release. "This proposed agreement represents the next chapter of that partnership."

Assistant County Administrator Marni Kuyl said the agreement provides clarity for the county, the city and the company while ensuring stable revenues that support local services.

What happens next

If approved by the commissioners, the Tualatin City Council votes on the same agreement at 7 p.m. Monday, Aug. 10. After that, state law requires the Oregon Business Development Commission to sign off before the deal takes effect. Language in the agreement indicates Lam expects some expanded operations to open in 2028, though the company has not confirmed a construction timetable.

If finalized, the Lam deal would be the seventh SIP agreement in Washington County. Previous deals include four with Intel and one with Genentech.