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Mitsubishi Electric Corporation announced that it played the key role in leading the project to draft the 2023 International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) White Paper entitled “Power Semiconductors for an Energy-Wise society,” which the IEC released on October 17. This is the first time for a White Paper, published annually since 2010, to issue recommendations for developing and expanding international standards and certification systems for power semiconductors.
Each year, the IEC White Paper focuses on electrical, electronic and electromechanical technologies requiring international standardization, and makes related recommendations to the IEC and other organizations.
Power semiconductors, one of Mitsubishi Electric’s core product lines, are expected to continue to advance technologically and be increasingly adopted as key devices that reduce power consumption and efficiently convert electrical energy, supporting the global drive toward carbon neutrality by 2050.
New materials such as silicon carbide (SiC) are being used in advanced power semiconductors for applications such as renewable energy and electric vehicles (EVs), but the development of international standards and certification systems for such devices is lagging. A lack of such standards and certifications could lead to a proliferation of nonconforming products and impede cooperation among manufacturers, users and regulators, thereby hindering the healthy growth of the power semiconductor global market.
In response, Mitsubishi Electric initiated a White Paper project within the IEC Market Strategy Board (MSB) in October 2022. Together with experts from around the world, the project team addressed issues related to power semiconductor technologies, markets, and regulations.
The resulting White Paper summarizes the applications, sectors and technological trends of power semiconductors and highlights the need for the development, alignment, and expansion of respective international standards and certification systems. In particular, the White Paper focuses on the critical role that power semiconductor standards can play in helping to realize emission-free, carbon-neutral industries for a healthier and more prosperous world.
The main points of the 2023 IEC White Paper include:
- Current status and future trends of society, markets, and technologies related to power semiconductors and applications that are essential for realizing an “Energy-Wise society” in which energy is used wisely and efficiently.
- Challenges facing the power semiconductor industry and solutions for achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 through an integrated approach involving relevant regulatory, industry and international standardization organizations around the globe.
- Recommendations for international standardization bodies, particularly the IEC, to establish a roadmap and guidelines for the development of international standards and conformity assessment systems for power semiconductors.
The White Paper project team was led by Dr. Kazuhiko Tsutsumi, Mitsubishi Electric’s specially appointed technical advisor who also serves as IEC Vice President and Chair of the MSB, and included experts from Mitsubishi Electric’s Corporate Intellectual Property Division (Tokyo), Mitsubishi Electric’s Power Device Works (Fukuoka), Mitsubishi Electric Europe B.V. German Branch (Ratingen, Germany), as well as a team of international experts.
Going forward, Mitsubishi Electric will collaborate with power semiconductor companies, users, and regulatory authorities to establish a roadmap for the creation of power semiconductor international standards as recommended in the 2023 IEC White Paper, with the aim of promoting the healthy growth of the power semiconductor market in the quest for carbon neutrality by 2050.
Original – Mitsubishi Electric
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LATEST NEWS / PROJECTS / TOP STORIESSamsung Electronics to Provide Service Across a Variety of Solutions, Including Power Semiconductors
October 19, 2023
3 Min ReadSamsung Electronics hosted Samsung Foundry Forum (SFF) 2023 Europe and unveiled its advanced and wide ranging automotive process solutions, from the most advanced 2-nanometer process to the 8-inch legacy process.
Alongside its customers and Samsung Advanced Foundry Ecosystem (SAFE) partners, Samsung Electronics showcased the latest technological trends and its business strategy tailored to the European market.
“Samsung Foundry is driving innovation in next-generation solutions to build an expanded portfolio that meets the growing needs of our automotive customers, especially as the era of electric vehicles becomes a reality,” said Dr. Siyoung Choi, President and Head of Foundry Business at Samsung Electronics. “We are strengthening our readiness to provide customers with distinguished service across a variety of solutions, including power semiconductors, microcontrollers and advanced AI chips for autonomous driving.”
Since participating in IAA Mobility 2023 for the first time in September, Samsung Electronics is strengthening engagement and partnership in specialty processes for automotive customers in the European market, further solidifying its status as a leading foundry partner for the industry.
Pioneering New Applications With Industry’s Most Advanced eMRAM
In order to meet the needs of the latest advancements in the automotive market, Samsung is setting out to develop the industry’s first 5-nanometer eMRAM for next-generation automotive technology. eMRAM is a next-generation memory semiconductor used for automotive applications that enables high read and write speeds as well as superior heat resistance.
Since developing and mass producing the industry’s first 28nm FD-SOI based eMRAM in 2019, Samsung Electronics has been developing 14nm for the FinFET process based on AEC-Q100 Grade 1. Samsung Foundry plans to expand its eMRAM portfolio by adding 14nm by 2024, 8nm by 2026, and 5nm by 2027.
Samsung’s 8nm eMRAM shows potential to deliver a 30% increase in density and 33% increase in speed, compared to the 14nm process.
Tackling the Market With Automotive Process Solutions From Cutting-Edge to Legacy
The company announced its advanced process roadmap, highlighting its plans to complete mass production readiness for its 2nm process for automotive applications by 2026.
Samsung Electronics is also bolstering its readiness to serve customer needs by expanding its 8-inch BCD (Bipolar-CMOS-DMOS) process portfolio. The BCD process combines the strengths of three different process technologies: Bipolar (B), CMOS (C), and DMOS (D) on one chip and is most commonly used in the production of power semiconductors.
Samsung Electronics plans to expand its current 130nm automotive BCD process to add 90nm by 2025. The 90nm BCD process is expected to bring a 20% decrease in chip area compared to the 130nm process.
Implementing Deep Trench Isolation (DTI) technology, which reduces the distance between each transistor to maximize the performance of power semiconductors, Samsung Foundry will be able to apply a greater voltage of 120V instead of 70V to a wider range of applications. This will enable readiness to provide a process development kit (PDK) that implements 120V to the 130nm BCD process by 2025.
Leading ‘Beyond-Moore’ Innovation Through Advanced Packaging Alliance
Samsung established a Multi-Die Integration (MDI) Alliance by collaborating with its SAFE partners as well as major players in memory, package substrate, and testing.
As part of an industry-wide partnership with 20 partners, Samsung is leading the development of 2.5D and 3D packaging solutions customized for all applications from automotive to high-performance computing (HPC).
Samsung Electronics hosted the annual Samsung Foundry Forum 2023 in the United States on June 27-28, in South Korea on July 4, and in Japan on October 17. The content from the forum will be available on the Samsung Semiconductor website for worldwide access to all visitors beginning November 2.
Original – Samsung Electronics
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Ardian, a world-leading private investment house, announced that it is expanding into semiconductor investment with the launch of Ardian Semiconductor. This innovative platform will invest across the semiconductor value chain with a focus on Europe and will enable companies to grow into global leaders in their markets.
Semiconductor devices are pervasive in the world economy and are the critical enablers of the digital transformation and green transition of key sectors, such as data infrastructure, mobility, industrial and consumer. Following several decades of consistent mid to high single digit growth, industry analysts believe the semiconductor industry will continue to grow and reach $1 trillion by 2030, driven by predictable megatrends such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing, electrification and automation of mobility and industry, or smart & connected devices.
Europe is one of the most attractive regions to invest in the coming decade. European companies in the value chain are global leaders in semiconductors for the mobility and industrial end-markets that are experiencing rapid technological transformation and expected to grow the fastest.
Europe also leads through its innovation ecosystems, IP, specialized equipment and materials companies, that underpin major megatrends such as the artificial intelligence revolution. Europe leverages strong foundations and attractive government incentives, including the €43 billion European Chips Act, to strengthen its leadership and benefit from an increased regionalization of the global supply chain.
Ardian Semiconductor aims at becoming the partner of choice of the European semiconductor value chain, bringing innovative and flexible capital solutions, as well as strategic and operational expertise, to companies with the potential to enable megatrends leveraging their distinctive technologies.
Ardian is launching the Ardian Semiconductor platform through an exclusive strategic partnership with Silian Partners, a team of highly successful senior executives from the semiconductor industry with more than 115 years of combined experience in the space, bringing unique industry relationships, strategic vision, and operational focus. Ardian and Silian Partners will work as One Team, and will bring together Ardian’s proven and successful private equity capabilities and investment processes with unparalleled industry leadership and expertise.
Ardian Semiconductor is managed by Ardian France. Silian Partners assists Ardian as an industry expert.
Ardian Semiconductor will be powered by a detailed analysis of technology megatrends and their implications across the semiconductor value chain. The team will work together to identify attractive opportunities, carry out expert due diligence, and work closely with entrepreneurs and management teams to define strategic roadmaps and execute.
This expansion builds on Ardian’s track record of investing in attractive high-growth sectors, in addition to its flagship investment activities.
“Semiconductors are everywhere and enable the world’s digital transformation and green transition. As demand for semiconductors is expected to more than double over the next decade, a whole supply chain needs to scale and bring continued innovation, including countless European mid-sized companies. We’re assembling a unique team with tremendous experience and track-record, and I can’t enjoy more than welcoming Paul, Christophe, Helmut and Thomas.
It’s therefore the perfect time to launch Ardian Semiconductor, leveraging Europe’s leading positions in critical segments of the semiconductor value chain. Building on Ardian’s proven track record as a global private investment leader, the platform will bring innovative capital solutions to this strategic value chain at a pivotal moment, working alongside world-class industry leaders.” Thibault Basquin, Member of the Executive Committee, Ardian
“We are delighted to partner with Ardian, who perfectly understand the unique opportunity to address a critical need of the European semiconductor value chain and become its financial sponsor of choice. Through a bespoke strategic partnership, we bring together in One Team seasoned private equity investors, proven investment processes, and successful semiconductor leaders.
Ardian is the ideal firm with the right people and culture to build this first-of-its-kind investment platform together. As we initiate dialogues with companies and entrepreneurs, we have confirmation that we enable solutions for the industry that do not exist today and that our approach will create significant value across the board.” Paul Boudre, Senior Managing Director & Co-Founder of Silian Partners
Silian Partners is led by:
- Paul Boudre, Senior Managing Director & Co-Founder, who brings c.35 years of semiconductor experience. As Chief Executive Officer of Soitec from 2015 to 2022, he successfully led the company through a restructuring and positioned it as a global leader of engineered semiconductor materials. Prior to Soitec, he held senior positions in semiconductor equipment and manufacturing with KLA, STMicroelectronics, IBM Microelectronics, Motorola Semiconductor and Atmel.
- Christophe Duverne, Senior Managing Director & Co-Founder, who has been a semiconductor and electronics executive for the past c.30 years. He was President and Chief Executive Officer of Linxens from 2010 to 2020, which he founded from a corporate carve-out, and led through two successful buyout transactions sponsored by CVC, Astorg and Bain Capital, to create a global leader in smart card components manufacturing. Prior to founding Linxens, he worked for over 10 years at NXP Semiconductors where he was Senior Vice President of the Identification business unit.
- Dr Helmut Gassel, Senior Managing Director & Co-Founder, who contributes c.30 years of semiconductor industry experience. He served as a member of Infineon’s Management Board as Chief Marketing Officer from 2016 to 2022 with responsibilities encompassing marketing, sales, strategy and M&A. In this capacity, he led the €9bn acquisition and integration of Cypress Semiconductor and contributed to transform Infineon into a global top 10 semiconductor company. Prior to joining Infineon in 1995 as a semiconductor design engineer, he worked in semiconductor research at Fraunhofer Institute
- Thomas Pebay-Peyroula, Managing Director & Co-Founder, who brings c.15 years of investment banking experience and has advised many European semiconductor companies on strategic, M&A and financing matters. He is joining from Rothschild & Co, and started his career with Lazard.
Original – Ardian
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DISCO Corporation has made a decision to build a new building at the Haneda R&D Center (Higashi Kojiya, Ota-ku). Construction will begin in April 2025 and is scheduled for completion at the end of March 2027. With the construction of the new building, DISCO aims to further enhance its R&D functions, enabling it to respond to the future needs of the semiconductor and electronic component markets.
The existing buildings, which were acquired in March 2022, were originally designed and built by a previous owner for training flight crews and as a data center. As these buildings have a relatively large amount of floor space with high load-bearing capacity, they were put into use as a development site upon the fitting of utilities such as water supply, drainage, and compressed air.
However, with the recent increase in development, DISCO has decided to construct a new building with an increased amount of floor space suitable for development. This new building will be constructed such that it can be expanded if more floor space for development becomes necessary.
Two of the seven existing buildings will be demolished to make room for the new building. The five remaining buildings will continue to be used with the purpose of R&D, as well as enhancing DISCO’s production system during periods of high demand.
Original – DISCO
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The automotive industry is evolving at a rapid pace, with E-Mobility and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) driving the market’s need for innovative solutions. Microchip Technology announced the expansion of its Detroit Automotive Technology Center in Novi, Michigan. The 24,000-square-foot facility is the destination for automotive clients to explore new technologies and to meet with technical experts to get support for their end applications and designs.
Microchip has been part of the Detroit community since 1999, when it first opened its doors as an application and sales office. With the recent completion of phase three of its expansion project, Microchip has more than doubled its lab space, including the addition of new labs that focus on high-voltage and E-Mobility applications. This larger facility will also bring more technology-related jobs to the region.
“Microchip’s automotive business is a cornerstone of our company’s legacy. We remain focused on developing total system solutions, and this expansion provides our customers with immediate access to state-of-the-art resources,” said Rich Simoncic, executive vice president of Microchip. “In addition to the Detroit location, we have Automotive Technology Centers in Munich, Shanghai, Tokyo and Austin, Texas, to support our global customer base.”
“Microchip’s Automotive Technology Center demonstrates our commitment to the automotive industry by providing a destination for them to develop, test and refine applications in the design phase,” said Matthias Kaestner, corporate vice president of Microchip’s automotive business. “Our vision for the center is to provide our automotive customers with the confidence to choose the right solutions for their designs by helping them to cut design effort and time to market by providing world class technical support locally.”
Located in the heart of the automotive industry, and with top tier OEMs, suppliers and startups operating in the region, Novi is a key location for Microchip’s Detroit Automotive Technology Center and easily accessible to help OEMs with their design challenges.
The key capabilities of the Detroit Automotive Technology Center include:
- Dedicated high-voltage lab for demonstrations of reference designs featuring Microchip’s silicon carbide mSiC™ solutions, dsPIC® Digital Signal Controllers (DSCs) and our wide breadth of analog and mixed-signal solutions
- Support for central compute and zonal networks in ADAS platforms using Microchip’s PCIe® Gen 4 and Gen 5 switching hardware, single-pair Ethernet devices and development tools
- Human Machine Interface (HMI) lab to support the development of full-width cockpit displays; touchscreens; Knob-on-Display™ (KoD™) solutions; and buttons, sliders, and wheels with EMC testing
- USB and networking development resources for pre-certification of multimedia infotainment systems and media hubs for advanced USB Type-C® 3.2 protocol applications
- Die- and product-level characterization of automotive MEMS resonators and oscillators, including vacuum and wafer-scale probe and test, long-term aging, frequency stability, phase noise and jitter test capability
- Development of automotive security solutions using Microchip’s CryptoAutomotive™ TrustAnchor ICs, and onsite security training to learn how to implement secure elements in applications such as secure boot, message and hardware authentication and more
“The new high-voltage lab will help our automotive customers develop systems using our reference design platforms and analog, digital control and power solutions,” said Clayton Pillion, vice president of Microchip’s silicon carbide business unit. “As more OEMs transition to our E-Mobility offerings, we are ready to support them from the design phase to implementation.”
As a leading supplier of embedded solutions to global automotive OEMs, Microchip offers many automotive products that are qualified in accordance with AEC-Q100 requirements. Its automotive-qualified product portfolio includes microcontrollers, DSCs, USB and networking solutions, analog and interface products, SiC MOSFETs, serial EEPROMs and more.
Microchip also offers a broad portfolio of ISO 26262 functional safety ready and functional safety compliant devices that offer the latest hardware safety features and are supported by a comprehensive safety ecosystem to simplify the design and certification of safety-critical automotive applications.
Original – Microchip Technology
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GlobalFoundries has been awarded $35 million in federal funding from the U.S. government to accelerate the manufacturing of GF’s differentiated gallium nitride (GaN) on silicon semiconductors at its facility in Essex Junction, Vermont. This funding brings GF closer to large-scale production of GaN chips, which are unique in their ability to handle high voltages and temperatures.
These chips are positioned to enable game-changing performance and efficiency in 5G and 6G cellular communications for infrastructure and handsets, automotive and industrial Internet of things (IoT), as well as power grids and other critical infrastructure.
With the new $35 million in funding, awarded by the Department of Defense’s Trusted Access Program Office (TAPO), GF plans to purchase additional tools to expand development and prototyping capabilities, moving closer to at-scale 200mm GaN-on-silicon semiconductor manufacturing.
As part of the investment, GF plans to implement new capabilities for reducing the exposure of GF and its customers to supply chain constraints of gallium, while improving the speed of development, assurance of supply and competitiveness of U.S-made GaN chips.
The funding builds on years of collaboration with the U.S. government – including $40 million in support from 2020-2022 – that leverages the talent of GF’s Vermont team and their 200mm semiconductor manufacturing experience, and applies it to GaN-on-silicon manufacturing. 200mm is state-of-the-art for GaN chip technology.
“Vermont is a leader in semiconductor innovation. This federal funding is welcome news, and will solidify our state’s position as a leader at the forefront of manufacturing next-generation chips,” said Senator Peter Welch. “It’s critical we support investment in this industry here in Vermont and in the U.S. – both for our local economic growth and for our national security. I look forward to continuing to fight for our domestic semiconductor and chip manufacturers in the Senate.”
“This strategic investment continues to strengthen our domestic ecosystem of critical dual-use commercial technologies, ensuring they’re readily available and secure for DoD utilization. In concert with key partners, we’re proactively shaping the future of our defense systems,” said The Honorable Christopher J. Lowman, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Sustainment.
“GaN on silicon is an ideal technology for high performance radio frequency, high voltage power switching and control applications for emerging markets, and it’s important for 6G wireless communications, industrial IoT, and electric vehicles,” said Dr. Thomas Caulfield, president and CEO of GF.
“GF has a longstanding partnership with the U.S. government, and this funding is critical to move GaN on silicon chips closer to volume production. These chips will enable our customers to realize bold new designs that push the envelope of energy efficiency and performance of critical technologies we rely on every day.”
GF’s facility in Essex Junction, Vermont, near Burlington, was among the first major semiconductor manufacturing sites in the United States. Today around 1,800 GF employees work at the site. Built on GF’s differentiated technologies, these GF-made chips are used in smartphones, automobiles, and communications infrastructure applications around the world.
The facility is a DMEA accredited Trusted Foundry and manufactures secure chips in partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense, for use in some of the nation’s most sensitive aerospace and defense systems.
Original – GlobalFoundries
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Infineon Technologies AG and Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Corporation have signed a multi-year supply agreement for silicon carbide (SiC) and silicon (Si) power semiconductors. Infineon will build and reserve manufacturing capacity to supply SiC as well as Si power modules and chips to Hyundai/Kia until 2030. Hyundai/Kia will support the capacity build-up and capacity reservation with financial contributions.
“Infineon stands as a valued strategic partner, boasting steadfast production capabilities and distinct technological prowess within the power semiconductor market,” said Heung Soo Kim, Executive Vice President and Head of Global Strategy Office (GSO) at Hyundai Motor Group. “This partnership not only empowers Hyundai Motor and Kia to stabilize its semiconductor supply but also positions us to solidify our leadership in the global EV market, underpinned by our competitive product lineups.”
“The future car will be clean, safe and smart and semiconductors are at the heart of this transformation. As a trusted partner, we are proud to advance our long-term partnership with Hyundai/Kia,” said Peter Schiefer, President of Infineon’s Automotive Division. “We contribute premium products of high quality, our system knowledge and application understanding combined with continued investments in manufacturing capacity to address the increasing demand for automotive power electronics.”
Infineon’s power semiconductors are key enablers for the transition to electromobility. This transition will lead to strong market growth for power semiconductors, especially those based on wide bandgap materials like SiC.
With the significant expansion of its Kulim fab, Infineon will build the world’s largest 200-millimeter SiC power fab and further strengthen its market-leading role as a high-quality, high-volume supplier to the automotive industry. In line with Infineon’s multi-site strategy, the Kulim facility will complement Infineon’s current manufacturing capacity in Villach, Austria, and further capacity expansions in Dresden, Germany.
Original – Infineon Technologies
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Power semiconductors are electronic components which are key enablers to tackling major challenges of decarbonization and digitization on the path to an energy-wise society.
This IEC White Paper establishes the critical role that power semiconductors play in various aspects of modern industry and in society – from renewable power generation and transmission, electromobility, automated factories, energy-efficient data centres to smart cities and smart homes. It covers the various expected trends, opportunities and challenges surrounding the power semiconductors industry. Significant challenges are mentioned such as the need for change in industry practices when transitioning from linear to circular economies, and shortage of skilled personnel required for power semiconductor development.
The white paper stresses the need for strategic actions at the policy-making level to address these concerns and calls for stronger government commitment, policies, and funding to advance power semiconductor technologies and integration. It demands recognition of the crucial role played by power semiconductors in global decarbonization efforts.
It further highlights the pivotal role of standards in removing significant technical risks, increasing product quality and enabling faster market acceptance. According to the authors, IEC can play a leading role in promoting collaboration among stakeholders, aligning methodologies, and ensuring that international and national standardization bodies work closely with industry. Additionally, the white paper delivers recommendations to IEC stakeholders for collaborative structures and accelerating the development and adoption of standards.
In a first for the IEC Market Strategy Board’s White Paper series, the authors aim to inspire the engagement of young professionals in the area.
This white paper has been prepared by a project team representing a variety of organizations, working under the IEC Market Strategy Board (MSB). The project team included representatives from semiconductor network businesses, academia, equipment vendors from around the world, and IEC Young Professionals. Dr Kazuhiko Tsutsumi, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation and MSB Chair, served as the project sponsor. Dr Munaf Rahimo and Dr Iulian Nistor of MTAL GmbH served as coordinating authors and project partner.
Original – IEC
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With support from the Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau and the Office for Attracting Strategic Enterprises (OASES), the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with mainland China-based microelectronics enterprise J2 Semiconductor (Shanghai) Co. Ltd. (J2 Semiconductor), to set up a global research and development (R&D) Centre focusing on third-generation semiconductors at the Hong Kong Science Park, and to set up Hong Kong’s first Silicon Carbide (SiC) 8-inch advanced wafer fab.
This is a milestone moment in the government’s ambition to establish Hong Kong as a leading microelectronics hub in the region. This further promotes new industrialisation, a core for the Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau which published its “Hong Kong Innovation and Technology Development Blueprint”, with a mission to develop strategically advanced manufacturing industries, such as microelectronics and semiconductors. As one of the world’s largest import and export markets for semiconductors, Hong Kong is at the heart of the Greater Bay Area which offers huge potential in becoming a key hub in the global semiconductor supply and value chain.
Professor Sun Dong, Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, said “This collaboration between HKSTP and J2 Semiconductor to set up the Hong Kong’s first-ever large-scale semiconductor wafer fab, demonstrates the commitment of the HKSAR Government in taking the initiative to turn its ‘new industrialisation’ vision into action. J2 Semiconductor is proactively building up the capacity, quality and competitiveness of Hong Kong’s tech talent pool. The project will also drive the development of related industries, including semiconductor equipment manufacturers, material suppliers, testing service providers, to develop a complete ecosystem to reinforce Hong Kong’s position in the global semiconductor industry value chain.”
The collaboration between HKSTP and J2 Semiconductor is jointly supported by the Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau and OASES with a view to sustain Hong Kong’s innovation and technology ecosystem and promote new industrialisation. The MoU was witnessed by Professor Sun Dong, Secretary of Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau, Mr Philip Yung, Director-General of OASES, Ms Lillian Cheong, Under Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Dr Sunny Chai, Chairman of HKSTP and Dr Robert Tsu, Chairman of J2 Semiconductor. While Mr Albert Wong, CEO of HKSTP and Mr TY Chu, Co-CEO of J2 Semiconductor formally signed the MoU.
Dr Sunny Chai, Chairman of HKSTP said, “The plan of establishing J2 Semiconductor’s R&D Centre in the Science Park will promote Hong Kong’s R&D and advanced manufacturing capabilities of third-generation semiconductor devices. J2 Semiconductor brings the core technology and expertise to Hong Kong in advanced chip design, fabrication process and semiconductor product development, which is an important milestone in the development of microelectronics industry in Hong Kong. As one of Hong Kong’s flagship innovation and technology platforms, we provide high-quality infrastructure and facilities as well as a vast network of partners, which will continue to promote Hong Kong’s microelectronics R&D capabilities and strengthen Hong Kong’s position as an international I&T hub.”
Dr Robert Tsu, Chairman of J2 Semiconductor said, “I am very grateful for the level of attention and support from both the Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau and HKSTP to this project. The MoU signing officially launches our third-generation semiconductor ‘SiC 8-inch advanced wafer fab’ project. J2 Semiconductor will invest an estimated HK$6.9 billion into the project, with plans to start volume production in the next couple of years, and reach annual production capacity of 240,000 SiC wafers in 2028, generating an annual production value of more than HK$11 billion and creating more than 700 job positions in Hong Kong. The project will assist in the early completion of the localisation of the new energy vehicle supply chain and drive the long-term development and prosperity of the semiconductor industry in Hong Kong.”
As a semiconductor chip design enterprise, J2 Semiconductor is committed to meeting the strong demand for domestically produced automotive chips from the China automotive industry. It mainly provides high-performance silicon carbide (SiC) devices with a focus on automotive, power conversion and communications. J2 Semiconductor’s superior SiC technology can be applied to relevant applications such as electric vehicles, as well as the related infrastructure such as charging stations, smart grids and energy storage.
HKSTP is committed to promoting Hong Kong’s new industrialisation mission and building a world-leading microelectronics ecosystem. HKSTP has established an extensive network of microelectronics hardware infrastructure, including Sensor Packaging and Integration Laboratory (Sensor Lab), Heterogenous Integration Lab (HI Lab) and the Hardware Lab, which can support the end-to-end process of design, prototyping and pilot production of chip-related equipment and systems as well as products. The Microelectronics Centre in Yuen Long Innovation Park is set to begin operation in 2024, supporting HKSTP’s infrastructure to accelerate microelectronics R&D pilot production, creating opportunities for upstream and downstream enterprises in the industry chain.
The microelectronics ecosystem of HKSTP is flourishing, with more than 200 microelectronics related companies. The establishment of the J2 Semiconductor facilities in Hong Kong will create greater level of synergy and knowledge exchange. Currently, five universities in Hong Kong are ranked among the top 100 universities in the world, with more than 100 university researchers engaged in microelectronics research, and promote the R&D of third-generation semiconductors. In this year’s Budget Speech, the HKSAR Government announced its plan to establish a Microelectronics Research and Development Institute to strengthen collaboration with universities, R&D centres and companies in the industry, and further accelerate the “1 to N” translation of R&D outcomes and bolster industry development.
Original – HKSTP
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ROHM-Wako Electronics (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. (RWEM) in Malaysia held an opening ceremony for its newly building constructed to strengthen its analog IC production capacity and manufacturing subsidiary.
RWEM produces small-signal devices such as diodes and LEDs, and the new building will be used to produce isolated gate driver ICs, one of the focus products in analog ICs. Isolated gate driver ICs are ICs that optimally drive power semiconductors such as IGBTs and SiCs, and since they play an important role in energy saving and miniaturization of electric vehicles and industrial equipment, demand for these products is expected to grow.
RWEM will begin production of ICs for the first time in order to strengthen its production capacity and promote multi-location of analog IC production factories from the viewpoint of BCM (Business Continuity Management).
The new building will be equipped with a variety of energy-saving technologies to reduce environmental impact (expected to reduce CO2 emissions by about 15% compared to the current facilities). RWEM’s BCM system will be further strengthened by introducing various state-of-the-art disaster preventions. RWEM intends to bring in production machines and begin production in October, 2024. As a result, RWEM’s overall production capacity is expected to increase by approximately 1.5 times.
ROHM Group will continue to strengthen its production capacity in accordance with its Medium-Term Management Plan while keeping abreast of market conditions, and will also thoroughly enhance its BCM system to ensure a stable supply of products to customers.
Original – ROHM
