- forwarded from WOLFSPEED

Wolfspeed CEO, Gregg Lowe

Wolfspeed recently announced the official opening of its highly anticipated Mohawk Valley Fab, the world's first, largest, and only 200mm silicon carbide (SiC) wafer manufacturing facility. This is a significant moment in the development history of Wolfspeed! On a larger scale, this is also an important component of the once-in-a-decade technological transformation - the transition from silicon (Si) based products to silicon carbide (SiC) based semiconductors across all industries.

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How long will it take to achieve this transformation

The demand for silicon carbide (SiC) is growing rapidly and far beyond expectations. This is largely due to the explosive growth of the electric vehicle market. Electric vehicles using silicon carbide (SiC) can support higher voltage operation, improve power density, and enhance efficiency. These advantages help car manufacturers achieve lighter and more spacious vehicle designs at lower costs, while also providing consumers with longer range and faster charging times. Electric vehicles are just one application of silicon carbide (SiC), but the global annual sales of electric vehicles are expected to soon reach 10 million units. This is a huge market and a barometer of demand for silicon carbide (SiC) devices.

The transformation speed from silicon (Si) to silicon carbide (SiC) largely relies on the increase in production capacity. With the operation of our Mohawk Valley factory, the production capacity of Wolfspeed silicon carbide (SiC) devices will significantly increase. In addition to increasing the area of manufacturing plants and cutting-edge automation technology, the upgrade from 150mm wafers to 200mm wafers will double the number of devices that can be ultimately produced per wafer. Of course, if you are not engaged in this industry, you may feel that this is not as exciting as it sounds. The increased size also means that the number of watts that each wafer can support is increasing. Looking at it from a different perspective, 200mm silicon carbide (SiC) wafers can support a higher number of watts of power than 300mm silicon (Si) wafers. Therefore, if the same number of wafers are used, silicon carbide (SiC) can empower more systems. On the other hand, if the same system is empowered, silicon carbide (SiC) only requires a smaller number of wafers. This will help reduce the number of chips required for procurement and alleviate the pressure on the supply chain.

Wolfspeed has committed $1 billion to expand our operations. At the same time as the construction of this wafer factory in New York State, our material factory in North Carolina is also underway, which will effectively create a silicon carbide (SiC) corridor on the East Coast of the United States. Our investment in business is nearly four times that of our peers to better meet the rapidly increasing customer demands. We have a firm belief in the future of silicon carbide (SiC)!

The opening of the Mohawk Valley factory will open up more possibilities for achieving a more sustainable future, and it will also be an important milestone in the transition from silicon (Si) to silicon carbide (SiC)!