Sharing Chips in Germany
Dresden, Germany was announced in August as the location of the European Semiconductor Manufacturing Company’s (ESMC) future 300mm plant. ESMC will operate as a joint venture led by TSMC, Robert Bosch GmbH, Infineon Technologies AG and NXP Semiconductors N.V., to build upon the European supply chain. The final investment amount for the project is expected to be over €10 billion. The project is planned under the framework of the European Chips Act. Construction on the project is slated to begin late 2024. When operations start in 2027, the plant will produce 480,000 wafers per year, creating 2,000 new jobs.
The JV in Dresden will produce 40,000 wafers a month.
Photo courtesy of Bosch
Clean Charging in Seoul
Clean Charging in Seoul SK On, the Seoul-based battery manufacturer, plans to bring a new $1.1 billion facility to its site in Seosan, South Chungcheong Province. This investment represents the company’s largest in Korea and will focus on equipment upgrades and additional production lines, according to the August 2023 announcement. “From the standpoint of bolstering the nation’s capacity for domestic battery production, this investment carries considerable significance,” said SK On CEO Jee Dong-seob. SK’s existing 5-gigawatt-hour site in Seosan will gain an additional 14 GWh, enough to supply 280,000 EVs by 2028. Construction for the expansion will begin in 2025 and upon completion will create 800 new jobs.
Photo courtesy of SK On
We’ve Got Ammonia At Home
By 2032, Morocco’s OCP will be producing 3 million tons of ammonia per year. The world’s largest phosphate and fertilizer company is investing $7 billion to build a ammonia plant in Tarfaya, located in Morocco’s southern region. The project aims to strengthen the domestic supply chain as the company is one of the largest importers of ammonia, spending $2 billion last year. When operational in 2026, OCP will begin producing 200,000 tons annually, increasing rapidly in years to follow.
OCP’s green ammonia project is just one of many planned to reach the company’s clean energy transition goals.
Photo courtesy of OCP.
Micron Cleared in India
To sweeten Micron Technologies’ $2.7 billion semiconductor plant investment in Gujarat’s city of Sanand, India’s cabinet approved a $1.34 billion production-based incentive package in June 2023. The planned semiconductor testing and packaging plant comes on the heels of the Biden Administration’s support for investment in the country. Phase one of construction, slated to begin this year and begin operations in 2024, will introduce 500,000 sq. ft. of cleanroom space. Up to 5,000 direct jobs and 15,000 indirect jobs will come as a result of this project. “We are excited about the steps India is taking to develop the local semiconductor ecosystem,” said Micron President and CEO Sanjay Mehrotra. “I am grateful to the Indian government and all of the officials involved that made this investment possible. Our new assembly and test location in India will enable Micron to expand our global manufacturing base and better serve our customers in India and around the world.”
Micron will assemble and test its DRAM and NAND products at the site.
Photo courtesy of Micron
"The robotics and automation industry is on course for growth. The previous turnover record of €15.1 billion from 2018 is likely to be significantly exceeded in 2023 with expected sales of €16.2 billion. Currently, the market situation is characterized by full order books. During the pandemic, suppliers built up large order backlogs, which are now being gradually worked off as bottlenecks in the supply chains ease. This means our industry is finally leaving the pandemic behind."
— Marina Bill, President of the International Federation of Robotics, on India entering the top 10 in annual robot installations
Germany Enters the Industrial Metaverse
In July 2023, Siemens announced that of its $2 billion planned investment strategy it will invest $1 billion to expand its presence in Erlangen, Germany. The new location will serve as the company’s global R&D hub and center for global technological activity for the industrial metaverse, according to the release. Here, Siemens will focus on high-tech manufacturing, combining both real and digital worlds together for future production technologies. The company will use the industrial metaverse to simulate power electronics and industrial 3D printing, for example. “Together with partners, we’re developing new digital technologies in the metaverse and revolutionizing how we’ll run our production in the future — much more efficiently, flexibly and sustainably,” said Siemens President and CEO Roland Busch.
