Auto supplier ZF Friedrichshafen AG and Wolfspeed Inc plan to build a US$3 billion wafer factory in Germany’s Saarland to make chips for electric vehicles and other applications, a boon for a region dependent on combustion-engine components, according to people familiar with the matter
The go-ahead for the project is subject to commitments on subsidies amounting to a quarter of the total investment, the people said, declining to be named discussing private information.
ZF would hold a minority share in the factory with its US chipmaking partner, located in Ensdorf near Saarbrucken. ZF operates its largest factory nearby, where 9,000 employees make transmissions.
Photo: AFP
The plan would see the site of a former coal-fired power plant converted into the world’s largest factory for silicon carbide semiconductors, used in electric vehicles and photovoltaic converters. The move would create hundreds of jobs, the people said, providing relief over concerns for Saarland state’s 40,000 auto industry workers, where many toil to make combustion engine parts.
ZF and Wolfspeed hope to get a final decision on subsidies within the next couple of months, the people said.
The partners plan to start production of semiconductors in 2027 and reach full capacity by 2030. Spokespeople for ZF and Wolfspeed declined to comment on the plans. Handelsblatt earlier reported some details of the project.
The wafer fab in Saarland will help the EU in its ambitious goal of producing 20 percent of the world’s chips by 2030.
Germany’s progress luring international chipmakers has become tougher because of high energy prices and the pull of generous US subsidies under the Inflation Reduction Act. US chipmaker Intel Corp has recently delayed the construction start of its 17 billion (US$18.5 billion) semiconductor factory in Magdeburg. The company is in talks for more government subsidies to offset higher costs.
The type of chips Wolfspeed plans to make can boost the range of electric vehicles by as much as 15 percent with faster charging compared to conventional silicon chips. In addition to the factory, ZF and Wolfspeed plan to set up a R&D center in Germany, where ZF is to be the majority owner, the people said. The center would research applications of the chips in power inverters for electric ships or wind turbines.
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