Onsemi (Nasdaq: ON), a leader in smart power and smart sensing technologies, celebrated the inauguration of its expanded silicon carbide (“SiC”) plant in Roznov, Czech Republic. The ribbon-cutting ceremony was attended by a number of guests, headed by Zbyněk Pokorný, Head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Radim Holiš, Governor of Zlin Region, and Mayor Jiří Pavlica, as well as other local government officials, demonstrating the importance of this event and semiconductor manufacturing in the Czech Republic .

Starting in 2019, ON Semiconductor has added SiC polished wafers and SiC epitaxy (“EPI”) wafer production to its existing silicon polished and epitaxial wafer and chip production in Roznov. Since the original site could not meet the demand, a new plant began to be built last year to further expand the production of wafers and SiC EPI. The expansion will increase the site’s SiC capacity by 16 times over the next two years and create 200 jobs by the end of 2024. So far, ON Semiconductor has invested more than $150 million in the Roznov site and plans to invest an additional $300 million by 2023. ON Semiconductor was recently awarded the Association for Foreign Investment (AFI) Major Contribution to Investment Award for its SiC investment in the Czech Republic.

Simon Keeton, executive vice president and general manager of ON Semiconductor’s Power Solutions Division, said: “Together with the expansion of our SiC ingot in Hudson, NH, USA, these increased SiC manufacturing capabilities allow ON Semiconductor to provide customers with critical supply assurances. , to meet the rapidly growing market demand for SiC-based solutions. Our comprehensive control of the SiC manufacturing supply chain and the market-leading energy efficiency of our products underscore ON Semiconductor’s further leadership in SiC.”

SiC is critical to improving the energy efficiency of electric vehicles (EVs), EV charging and energy infrastructure, and is an important enabler for decarbonization.