By Gary Borders

Electronic giant Samsung announced last week that it will build a new semiconductor manufacturing facility in the Central Texas town of Taylor, about 40 miles northeast of Austin. The $17 billion investment will be the largest foreign direct investment in Texas to date and brings the company’s total investment in the state to $35 billion.

Samsung already operates a facility in Austin, its lone U.S. manufacturing plant. The deal was helped along with a $27 million Texas Enterp...