[News] How Many 8-inch Silicon Carbide Wafer Fabs are There Worldwide?

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Over the past few years, major companies around the world have been investing in 8-inch SiC production lines, and these investments are now gradually becoming operational.

Global Layout: 14 New 8-Inch SiC Factories

In the global SiC market, companies such as STMicroelectronics (ST), Onsemi, Infineon, Wolfspeed, ROHM, BOSCH, Fuji Electric, Mitsubishi Electric, Vanguard International Semiconductor (VIS) and EPISIL, Silan Microelectronics, and UNT have all announced plans to build their own 8-inch SiC chip factories, as shown in the image. Many of these companies are also making strides in upstream substrate and epitaxial material segments.

STMicroelectronics (ST): ST announced on May 31 this year the construction of a new 8-inch SiC plant in Catania, Italy, consolidating all aspects of the SiC production process. The new plant is expected to start production in 2026 and reach full capacity by 2033, with a maximum capacity of 15,000 wafers per week and an estimated total investment of around 5 billion EUR.

The 8-inch silicon carbide (SiC) manufacturing plant in Chongqing, China, jointly established by ST and China’s Sanan Optoelectronics, will become ST’s third SiC production center. The project was announced on June 7, 2023, and is expected to begin production in the fourth quarter of 2025, with full completion anticipated by 2028.

Onsemi: Onsemi’s SiC wafer plant in Bucheon, South Korea, completed its expansion in 2023 and plans to transition to 8-inch production by 2025 after completing technology verification. By then, capacity will be expanded to 10 times the current scale.

Infineon: Announced on August 8, 2024, that the first phase of its 8-inch SiC power semiconductor wafer plant in Kulim, Malaysia, has officially started operations, with large-scale production expected by 2025.

Wolfspeed: Wolfspeed has the world’s first and largest 8-inch SiC plant located in Mohawk Valley, New York, which officially opened in April 2022. As of June this year, the factory has achieved a 20% wafer utilization rate.

In January 2023, Wolfspeed and automotive parts supplier ZF announced plans to build the world’s largest and most advanced 8-inch SiC device manufacturing factory in Saarland, Germany. This project has been delayed and is now expected to start at the earliest in 2025.

ROHM: Built a new SiC plant in Chikugo, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan, which started mass production in 2022 and plans to transition from 6-inch to 8-inch wafer production by 2025. In July 2023, ROHM announced plans to start producing 8-inch SiC substrates at its second factory in Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan, by the end of 2024.

BOSCH: BOSCH’s factory in Reutlingen, Germany, started 6-inch SiC wafer production in 2021, with 8-inch SiC wafers currently also produced at this factory. The factory in Roseville, USA, is expected to start 8-inch SiC wafer production by 2026.

Mitsubishi Electric: Announced in late May this year that the 8-inch SiC plant in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan, will be completed by September 2025, with production moved up to November 2025 from April 2026.

Fuji Electric: In January this year, Fuji Electric announced a 200 billion yen investment over the next three years (fiscal years 2024 to 2026) for SiC power semiconductor production, including an 8-inch SiC capacity at its Matsumoto factory in Japan, expected to start production in 2027.

UNT: Built its first 8-inch SiC MOSFET wafer production line in Yuecheng District, Shaoxing, and completed the engineering batch in April this year, with mass production expected next year.

Silan Microelectronics (Silan): Officially launched China’s first 8-inch SiC power device chip manufacturing line project in Xiamen on June 18 this year, with a total investment of 12 billion RMB.

The project will be built in two phases, with an annual production capacity of 720,000 8-inch SiC power device chips. The first phase investment is 7 billion RMB, expected to complete the initial connection by the end of the third quarter of 2025, with trial production in the fourth quarter and an annual yield target of 20,000 wafers. The second phase investment is about 5 billion RMB.

Vanguard International Semiconductor (VIS) & EPISIL: VIS announced on September 10 a plan to invest 2.48 billion NTD to acquire a 13% stake in EPISIL. The two companies will collaborate on the development and production of 8-inch SiC wafer technology, with mass production expected in the second half of 2026.

Thailand’s First SiC Factory: Recently, FT1 Corporation, a joint venture in Thailand, invested 11.5 billion THB (350 million USD) to build Thailand’s first SiC factory using technology transferred from a Korean chip manufacturer to produce 6-inch and 8-inch wafers. The factory is expected to start production in the first quarter of 2027 to meet the growing demand in automotive, data center, and energy storage markets.

Conclusion

From the aforementioned 14 SiC factory (12 under construction), only Wolfspeed’s Mohawk Valley plant can currently provide 8-inch SiC wafers in the short term. Other manufacturers are expected to start supplying 8-inch SiC wafers gradually from next year.