Intelligent power and sensing technologies company onsemi has announced plans to establish a state-of-the-art, vertically integrated silicon carbide (SiC) manufacturing facility in the Czech Republic.
The site will produce the company’s intelligent power semiconductors that, it says, are essential for improving the energy efficiency of applications in electric vehicles, renewable energy and AI data centres.
The company plans to expand SiC manufacturing with a multi-year brownfield investment of up to US$2 billion as part of the company’s long-term capital expenditure target.
This investment would build on the company’s current operations in the Czech Republic, which include silicon crystal growth, silicon and silicon carbide wafer manufacturing and a silicon wafer fab. Today, the site can produce more than three million wafers annually, including more than one billion power devices.
Pending all final regulatory and incentive approvals, this would be one of the largest private sector investments in the Czech Republic’s history.
With this investment, onsemi believes it can contribute to the strategic positioning of the region within the EU’s semiconductor value chain.
Silicon carbide is a critical material for high-power, high-temperature applications, and is extremely difficult to produce. In fact onsemi says it is one of the only companies in the world with the ability to manufacture SiC-based semiconductors from crystal growth to advanced packaging solutions.
By expanding its production facilities in the Czech Republic, onsemi suggests it can more quickly provide supply assurance for customers. This integration would also enable onsemi to leverage its latest advancements in research and development to maximize manufacturing and production efficiency.
Hassane El-Khoury, president and CEO, onsemi adds: "Our brownfield investment would establish a Central European supply chain to better service our customers’ rapidly increasing demand for innovative technologies that improve the energy efficiency in their applications.”
He adds: “Through a close collaboration with the Czech government, the expansion would also enhance our production of intelligent power semiconductors that are essential to helping ensure the European Union is able to achieve its ambitions to significantly reduce carbon emissions and environmental impact.”
