Project worth billions in Saarland
US group is probably planning a chip factory in Germany
01/21/2023 2:07 p.m
The chip industry is fundamental to the automotive and energy sectors. Accordingly, large corporations want to expand their production capacities. A large factory could soon be built in Saarland.
According to a media report, the US company Wolfspeed wants to build the world’s largest plant for silicon carbide semiconductors in Saarland. The German automotive supplier ZF wants to take a minority stake in the project, reported the “Handelsblatt”, citing informed circles. Wolfspeed wants to build a factory on the site of a former coal-fired power plant in Ensdorf.
Series production of the chips, which are primarily used in electric vehicles, is scheduled to begin in four years. A spokesman for the Ministry of Economics in Saarland and ZF declined to comment. Wolfspeed did not initially respond to a query. A joint research center is also planned, in which ZF should hold the majority. The “Handelsblatt” reported that Wolfspeed wanted to start construction work as soon as possible. However, the commitment for state subsidies is still missing. The subsidies are the prerequisite for the commitment.
The factory in Saarland would also be important for Europe. The EU Commission had set the goal of bringing the European share of world chip production to 20 percent by 2030. The USA had recently attracted significantly more investment than Europe.
The US group Intel, for example, wants to build a new mega-chip area in Magdeburg with government support worth billions. According to a media report, however, the start of construction has been delayed due to ambiguity about state subsidies. Infineon would like to set up an additional plant in Dresden.