Electronics Weekly
Wolfspeed had originally planned to build a $3 billion fab to start running silicon in 2027 plus an R&D Centre in Saarland with ZF paying $185 million for a stake in the project. The EU had agreed a €600 million subsidy for the investment.
While not abandoned, the Saarland plan is now seeking new funding, says Wolfspeed.
In June, Wolfspeed put back the start of construction until mid-2025 at the earliest, saying it was prioritising its investment in its Marcy, New York fab.
Wolfspeed was awarded $750 million under the US Chips Act and gets 25% tax relief on the cost of building a SiC fab in Siler City, North Carolina and expanding its SiC fab in Marcy, New York – together budgeted at $6 billion.
The 2-million-square-foot Siler City facility would become the US’ largest SiC fab and the world’s first high-volume 200mm silicon carbide wafer manufacturing facility.
The expansion if the Marcy, New York facility – claimed to be the world’s first fully automated 200mm SiC power device fab – will increase its production capacity by approximately 30%.
Due in part to the Siler City and Marcy projects, Wolfspeed anticipates a five-fold increase in their SiC device output and a ten-fold increase in 200mm materials production capacity.
