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Electrification, renewables and artificial intelligence are global megatrends converging and driving unprecedented demands for advanced power semiconductors capable of optimizing energy conversion and management. In a strategic move toward addressing these demands, onsemi announced plans to establish a state-of-the-art, vertically integrated silicon carbide (SiC) manufacturing facility in the Czech Republic. The site would produce the company’s intelligent power semiconductors that are essential for improving the energy efficiency of applications in electric vehicles, renewable energy and AI data centers.
“Our brownfield investment would establish a Central European supply chain to better service our customers’ rapidly increasing demand for innovative technologies that improve the energy efficiency in their applications,” said Hassane El-Khoury, president and CEO, onsemi. “Through a close collaboration with the Czech government, the expansion would also enhance our production of intelligent power semiconductors that are essential to helping ensure the European Union is able to achieve its ambitions to significantly reduce carbon emissions and environmental impact.”
“onsemi’s decision to expand in Czechia is a clear confirmation of our country’s attractiveness for foreign investment and will bring significant momentum for the development of our economy,” said Mr. Jozef Síkela, Minister of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic. “This investment not only strengthens our position in the semiconductor field but can also contribute to the development of the automotive industry and help us with its adaptation to the rise of electromobility.”
onsemi’s plan to expand SiC manufacturing with a multi-year brownfield investment of up to $2 billion (44 billion CZK) is part of the company’s previously disclosed long-term capital expenditure target. This investment would build on the company’s current operations in the Czech Republic, which include silicon crystal growth, silicon and silicon carbide wafer manufacturing (polished and EPI) and a silicon wafer fab. Today, the site can produce more than three million wafers annually, including more than one billion power devices. Upon completion, the operation would contribute annually more than $270 million USD (6 billion CZK) to the country’s GDP.
Pending all final regulatory and incentive approvals, including the investment incentive approval by the government of the Czech Republic and its notification to the European Commission, this would be one of the largest private sector investments in the Czech Republic’s history and would further contribute to the prosperity and economic dynamism of the Zlín region. onsemi is one of the first companies to invest in advanced semiconductor manufacturing in the Central European region.
With this investment, the company would contribute to the strategic positioning of the region within the EU’s semiconductor value chain and demonstrate that all EU countries can benefit from the European Chips Act. The announcement also reflects onsemi’s strategic alignment with the overarching goals of the European Chips Act of increasing market share and technological advancement to strengthen the resilience of the EU’s semiconductor supply chains in times of ever-growing demand.
Silicon carbide is a critical material for high-power, high-temperature applications, and is extremely difficult to produce. onsemi is one of the only companies in the world with the ability to manufacture SiC-based semiconductors from crystal growth to advanced packaging solutions. By expanding its production facilities in the Czech Republic, onsemi would be faster to provide supply assurance for customers, strengthening its leadership in intelligent power solutions. This integration would also enable onsemi to leverage its latest advancements in research and development (R&D) to maximize manufacturing and production efficiency.
Original – onsemi
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The latest onsemi 7th generation 1200V QDual3 Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT) power modules offer increased power density and deliver up to 10% more output power than other available competing products. Based on the latest Field Stop 7 (FS7) IGBT technology, the 800-amp (A) QDual3 module delivers industry-leading efficiency to reduce system costs and simplify designs.
In a 150KW inverter, the QDual3 module will dissipate 200 watts (W) less in losses compared to the closest competition, significantly reducing heatsink size. QDual3 is engineered to work under harsh conditions and is ideal for high-power electronics converters such as central inverters in solar farms, energy storage systems (ESS), commercial agricultural vehicles (CAVs) and industrial motor drives.
Currently, two products are available depending on the applications – NXH800H120L7QDSG and SNXH800H120L7QDSG.
Increasing renewable energy adoption amplifies the need for solutions that can manage peak demand and ensure continuous power supply. Peak shaving, the practice of reducing electricity use during peak hours, is essential for maintaining electric grid stability and reducing costs. Using the QDual3 modules, manufacturers can construct a solar inverter and ESS that output more power in the same system size, enabling more efficient energy management and storage capabilities, and allowing for a smoother integration of solar power into the grid.
The modules also mitigate the intermittency of solar energy by storing excess power in an ESS, ensuring a reliable and consistent energy flow. For large systems, the modules can be paralleled to increase the output power up to a couple of MWs and compared to traditional 600 A module solutions, the 800 A QDual3 significantly reduces the module quantity, greatly simplifying design complexity and cutting system costs.
The QDual3 IGBTs module features an 800 A half-bridge configuration that integrates the latest Gen7 trench Field Stop IGBT and diode technology using onsemi’s advanced packaging techniques to reduce switching and conduction losses.
With FS7 technology, the die size is reduced by 30%, allowing more die per module, increasing the power density to enable the maximum current capacity up to 800 A or higher. With an IGBT Vce(sat) as low as 1.75V (175°C) and low Eoff, the 800 A QDual3 module dissipates 10% lower energy losses than the next-best alternative. The modules also meet the stringent standards required of an automotive application.
“Increased electrification of commercial fleets such as trucks and busses and the need of renewable energy sources demand solutions that can generate, store and distribute power more efficiently. Transferring energy from renewable sources to the grid, storage systems and to downstream loads with the lowest power losses possible is increasingly critical,” said Sravan Vanaparthy, vice president, Industrial Power Division, Power Solutions Group, onsemi. “With its industry-standard pin-out and market-leading efficiencies, QDual3 enables power electronics designers to plug and play these modules for an immediate performance boost in their systems.”
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As data centers become increasingly power-hungry to support the tremendous processing requirements of AI workloads, the need for boosting energy efficiency is paramount. The powerful combination of onsemi’s latest generation T10 PowerTrench® family and EliteSiC 650V MOSFETs create a solution that offers unparalleled efficiency and high thermal performance in a smaller footprint for data center applications.
Compared to a typical search engine request, an AI-supported engine request requires more than 10x the power, leading to data center power needs expected to reach an estimated 1,000 TWh globally in less than two years. To process one AI-supported request, energy is converted four times from the grid to the processor, which can result in an energy loss of approximately 12%.
Using the T10 PowerTrench family and EliteSiC 650V solution, data centers are able to reduce power losses that occur by an estimated 1%. If implemented in data centers globally, the solution could reduce energy consumption by 10 TWh annually or the equivalent of the energy required to fully power nearly one million homes per year.
The EliteSiC 650V MOSFET offers superior switching performance and lower device capacitances to achieve higher efficiency in data centers and energy storage systems. Compared to the previous generation, these new generation silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFETs have halved the gate charge and reduced both the energy stored in output capacitance (Eoss) and the output charge (Qoss) by 44%.
With no tail current during turn-off and superior performance at high temperatures, they can also significantly reduce switching losses compared to super junction (SJ) MOSFETs. This allows customers to downsize system components while increasing the operating frequency, resulting in an overall reduction in system costs.
Separately, the T10 PowerTrench Family is engineered to handle high currents, crucial for DC-DC power conversion stages, and offers increased power density and superior thermal performance in a compact footprint. This is achieved through a shield gate trench design, which boasts an ultra-low gate charge and an RDS (on) of less than 1 milliohm. Additionally, the soft recovery body diode and lower Qrr effectively minimizes ringing, overshoots, and electrical noise to ensure optimal performance, reliability, and robustness under stress. The T10 PowerTrench Family also meets the stringent standards required for automotive applications.
The combined solution also meets the stringent Open Rack V3 (ORV3) base specification required by hyperscale operators to support the next generation of high-power processors.
“AI and electrification are reshaping our world and skyrocketing power demands. Accelerating innovation in power semiconductors to improve energy efficiency is key to enabling these technological megatrends. This is how we power the future responsibly,” said Simon Keeton, group president, Power Solutions Group, onsemi. “Our latest solution can significantly reduce power losses that occur during the energy conversion process and have a meaningful impact on the demands for the next generation of data centers.”
Original – onsemi
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onsemi announced results for the first quarter of 2024 with the following highlights:
- Revenue of $1,862.7 million
- GAAP gross margin and non-GAAP gross margin of 45.8% and 45.9%, respectively
- GAAP operating margin and non-GAAP operating margin of 28.2% and 29.0%, respectively
- GAAP diluted earnings per share and non-GAAP diluted earnings per share of $1.04 and $1.08, respectively
- Returned ~100% of free cash flow over last twelve months to shareholders through stock repurchases
“The structural changes we have made to the business over the last three years have enabled us to sustain our gross margin despite challenging market conditions,” said Hassane El-Khoury, president and chief executive officer of onsemi. “In the current environment, we remain focused on execution while investing for our long-term growth. As power continues to play a critical role in the world’s increasing energy demands, efficiency is paramount, and we are positioned to continue to gain share with our portfolio of industry-leading power and sensing technologies.”
Selected financial results for the quarter are shown below with comparable periods (unaudited):
GAAP Non-GAAP (Revenue and Net Income in millions) Q1 2024 Q4 2023 Q1 2023 Q1 2024 Q4 2023 Q1 2023 Revenue $ 1,862.7 $ 2,018.1 $ 1,959.7 $ 1,862.7 $ 2,018.1 $ 1,959.7 Gross Margin 45.8 % 46.7 % 46.8 % 45.9 % 46.7 % 46.8 % Operating Margin 28.2 % 30.3 % 28.8 % 29.0 % 31.6 % 32.2 % Net Income attributable to ON Semiconductor Corporation $ 453.0 $ 562.7 $ 461.7 $ 464.5 $ 540.9 $ 523.7 Diluted Earnings Per Share $ 1.04 $ 1.28 $ 1.03 $ 1.08 $ 1.25 $ 1.19 Revenue Summary (in millions) (Unaudited) Three Months Ended Business Segment(1) Q1 2024 Q4 2023 Q1 2023 Sequential Change Year-over-Year Change PSG $ 874.2 $ 965.5 $ 860.9 (9 )% 2 % AMG 697.0 744.9 744.7 (6 )% (6 )% ISG 291.5 307.7 354.1 (5 )% (18 )% Total $ 1,862.7 $ 2,018.1 $ 1,959.7 (8 )% (5 )% (1) During the first quarter of 2024, the Company reorganized certain reporting units and its segment reporting structure. As a result of the reorganization of divisions within PSG and AMG, the prior-period amounts have been reclassified to conform to current-period presentation. SECOND QUARTER 2024 OUTLOOK
The following table outlines onsemi’s projected second quarter of 2024 GAAP and non-GAAP outlook.
Total onsemiGAAP SpecialItems Total onsemiNon-GAAP Revenue $1,680 to $1,780 million – $1,680 to $1,780 million Gross Margin 44.1% to 46.1% 0.1% 44.2% to 46.2% Operating Expenses $327 to $342 million $14 million $313 to $328 million Other Income and Expense (including interest), net ($12 million) – ($12 million) Diluted Earnings Per Share $0.82 to $0.94 $0.04 $0.86 to $0.98 Diluted Shares Outstanding 436 million 4 million 432 million Original – onsemi
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onsemi announced the formation of the Analog and Mixed-Signal Group (AMG) which will be led by newly appointed group president, Sudhir Gopalswamy. The group will be focused on expanding onsemi’s portfolio of industry-leading power management and sensor interface devices to unlock an additional $19.3 billion total addressable market and accelerate the company’s growth in the automotive, industrial and cloud end markets.
Additionally, Simon Keeton has been promoted to group president of the Power Solutions Group (PSG). His leadership has been instrumental in delivering more than $4 billion in total revenue last year, while ramping a profitable silicon carbide business that achieved over $800 million in revenue in 2023.
“This organizational alignment builds on our strength in delivering highly differentiated and optimized solutions focused on customer needs,” said Hassane El-Khoury, president and chief executive officer of onsemi. “With Simon and Sudhir’s industry expertise and proven track records, we are setting the foundation for further growth and leadership in intelligent power and sensing technologies.”
AMG specializes in the development of a range of power management ICs and high precision, low power sensor interfaces and communications products. It positions onsemi to become a full suite provider of high efficiency power tree solutions with an expanded portfolio of gate drivers, DC-DC converters, multi-phase controllers, eFuses and more.
The group will continue to extend its leadership in automotive- and industrial-focused sensor interface and communication solutions such as inductive, ultrasonic and medical sensing, as well as single-pair Ethernet and Bluetooth® Low Energy (Bluetooth LE) solutions.
AMG combines the former Advanced Solutions Group (ASG) and Integrated Circuits Division (ICD), previously a part of PSG. Gopalswamy will oversee both AMG and Intelligent Sensing Group (ISG), which together drove nearly $4 billion in revenue for the company last year.
This strategic move accelerates onsemi’s position and will add even more system value for customers by powering every architecture with analog and mixed-signal technologies that enable advanced functionality, higher performance and faster time to market.
onsemi will publish its first quarter 2024 earnings based on the reorganized business segments and provide comparable historical data.
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onsemi announced the availability of its 1200V SPM31 Intelligent Power Modules (IPMs) featuring the latest generation Field Stop 7 (FS7) Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT) technology. The SPM31 IPMs deliver higher efficiency, smaller footprint and higher power density resulting in lower total system cost than other leading solutions on the market.
Given the greater efficiency realized using optimized IGBTs, these IPMs are ideal for three-phase inverter drive applications such as heat pumps, commercial HVAC systems, servo motors, and industrial pumps and fans.
Operating residential and commercial buildings is estimated to contribute 26% of greenhouse gas emissions, with indirect emissions such as heating, cooling and powering buildings accounting for approximately 18%. As governments worldwide strive to meet their energy and climate commitments, more energy-efficient and lower-carbon solutions are becoming increasingly critical.
The SPM31 IPMs control the power flow to the inverter compressor and fans in heat pumps and air conditioning systems by adjusting the frequency and voltage of the power supplied to three-phase motors for maximum efficiency. For example, onsemi’s 25A-rated SPM31 using FS7 IGBT technology can decrease power losses by up to 10% and increase in power density up to 9%, compared to our previous generation products.
With the transition to electrification and heightened efficiency mandates, these modules help manufacturers drastically improve system design while increasing efficiency in heating and cooling applications. With the improved performance, our SPM31 IPM family featuring FS7 enables high efficiency with reduced energy losses, further reducing harmful emissions globally.
These highly integrated modules contain gate-driving ICs, multiple on-module protection features along with our FS7 IGBTs enabling industry-leading thermal performance with the ability to support a wide range of currents, from 15A to 35A. With their best-in-class power density, SPM31 FS7 IGBT IPMs are an ideal answer to save mounting space and improve performance expectations while shortening the development time. In addition, the SPM31 IPMs include the following benefits:
- Controls for gate drivers and protections
- Low loss, short-circuit-rated IGBTs
- Negative IGBT terminals available for each phase to support a wide variety of control algorithms
- Built-in under-voltage protection (UVP)
- Built-in bootstrap diodes and resistors
- Built-in high-speed high-voltage integrated circuit
- Single-grounded power supply
Original – onsemi
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onsemi announced its fourth quarter and fiscal year 2023 results with the following highlights:
- Fourth quarter revenue of $2,018.1 million
- Fourth quarter GAAP and non-GAAP gross margin of 46.7%
- GAAP operating margin and non-GAAP operating margin of 30.3% and 31.6%, respectively
- GAAP diluted earnings per share and non-GAAP diluted earnings per share of $1.28 and $1.25, respectively
- Full year 2023 record automotive revenue of $4.3 billion increased 29% year-over-year
- Full year 2023 share repurchases of $564 million, representing 140% of free cash flow
“Our momentum continued this past year as we achieved record automotive revenue and 4x year-over-year growth in silicon carbide revenue. We continue to transform the business by building resilience into our model, enabling us to navigate uncertain market conditions and deliver more predictable and sustainable results,” said Hassane El-Khoury, president and chief executive officer of onsemi.
“Our consistent performance has validated our long-term strategy. Looking ahead, we are driving innovation beyond silicon and silicon carbide with our upcoming analog and mixed signal platform to further our leadership in intelligent power and sensing solutions.”
Original – onsemi
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onsemi announced the availability of nine new EliteSiC Power Integrated Modules (PIMs) enabling bidirectional charging capabilities for DC ultra-fast electric vehicle (EV) chargers and energy storage systems (ESS). The silicon carbide-based solutions will dramatically improve system cost with higher efficiency and simpler cooling mechanisms that can reduce size by up to 40% and weight by up to 52% compared to traditional silicon-based IGBT solutions.
With more compact, lighter charging platforms, designers will have all the key building blocks that are needed to quickly deploy a reliable, efficient and scalable network of DC fast chargers that can charge electric vehicle batteries up to 80% in as little as 15 minutes.
According to J.D. Power’s 2023 Electric Vehicle Consideration Study, nearly half of U.S. consumers note the reason for not purchasing an electric vehicle is the access to charging and the ability to do so quickly, to ensure the driving experience is as easy and seamless as with a traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle. In the U.S., the availability of EV chargers needs to quadruple by 2025 and 8x by the end of the decade to keep up with demand and ensure drivers have equitable access to public charging stations.
In turn, this rapid increase in demand for electricity will also put a tremendous strain on current electrical grids, potentially overloading them. To mitigate this problem, bidirectional charging has emerged as a key solution to implement vehicle-to-grid which allows both regular battery charging and the ability to use an EV as an energy storage system to power your home when needed.
This solution helps enable a DC fast charging network and vehicle-to-grid power transfer systems, addressing access and speed with its ability to recharge a vehicle faster than other methods that take hours or even days.
onsemi offers the most comprehensive portfolio of PIMs to address the key topologies on the market. This gives designers the flexibility to pick the right PIM for power conversion stages in their DC fast charging or energy storage system applications. To accelerate the design cycle, advanced piecewise linear electrical circuit simulation (PLECS) models through our Self-Service PLECS model Generator and application simulation with the Elite Power Simulator of this portfolio will also be made available to designers.
For each module, onsemi uses die from the same wafer to ensure more consistency and reliability so designers don’t have to use discretes from different suppliers, which can lead to varying performance results. In addition to its reliability, this module portfolio offers the following benefits:
- Uses the Gen3 M3S SiC MOSFET technology which offers the lowest switching losses and highest efficiency in the industry
- Supports key topologies such as multi-level T-type neutral point clamp (TNPC), half-bridge and full-bridge topologies
- Supports scalable output power from 25 kW to 100 kW, enabling multiple DC fast charging and energy storage systems platforms including bidirectional charging
- Industry-standard F1 and F2 packages with the option of pre-applied Thermal Interface Material (TIM) and press fit pins
- Enables optimal thermal management, avoiding system failure due to overheating
- Full SiC modules offer energy conservation by minimizing power losses, directly translating to cost and energy savings
- Offers more robustness and dependability, ensuring consistent operations
Original – onsemi
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onsemi opened an application test lab in Piestany, Slovakia, focused on the advancement of system solutions for battery/plug-in hybrid/electric vehicles (xEVs) and energy infrastructure (EI) power conversion systems. The state-of-the-art systems applications lab provides specialized equipment to develop and test next-generation silicon (Si) and silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductor solutions in collaboration with automotive OEMs, Tier 1s and EI providers.
Modern semiconductor devices are essential for highly efficient power conversion in xEV powertrains and charging, as well as applications in renewable energy. The new lab will play a central role in ensuring that the development of future power products results in highly differentiated, value-add solutions tailored to customers’ specific requirements.
The new facility consists of two high-voltage power labs that focus on systems and device level development as well as evaluation of SiC/Si traction inverters and ACDC/DCDC power converters. Laser welding facilities, mechanical clean rooms and workshops further enable fast prototyping and testing of next-generation system solutions.
Evaluation capabilities for the next-generation system solutions include:
- Continuous 24/7 testing
- Internally developed and patented software and hardware solutions to support high-voltage power cycling via space vector modulation (SVM) and sinusoidal pulse width modulation (SPWM)
- High-accuracy logging devices for assessing SiC and Si health and reliability
- Simulation of the harsh conditions faced by inverters during operation, testing liquid-cooled devices at temperatures as low as minus 50 degrees C and up to 220 degrees C
- Wider range of industry-recognized software allows for the programing of FPGAs and ARM microcontrollers on site, as well as qualification testing, data analysis and 3D modeling
Original – onsemi
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onsemi announced results for the third quarter of 2023 with the following highlights:
- Revenue of $2,180.8 million; GAAP and non-GAAP gross margin of 47.3%
- GAAP operating margin and non-GAAP operating margin of 31.5% and 32.6%, respectively
- GAAP diluted earnings per share and non-GAAP diluted earnings per share of $1.29 and $1.39, respectively
- Record automotive revenue of $1.2 billion, and increased 33% year-over-year
- Record industrial revenue of $616 million, up slightly year-over-year
“Our disciplined approach and execution resulted in another solid quarter, demonstrating the resilience in our business amid market softness,” said Hassane El-Khoury, president and chief executive officer, onsemi.
“We continue to drive structural improvements and efficiencies, most notably in our silicon carbide operation, with the completed expansion of the world’s largest, state-of-the-art silicon carbide fab in South Korea for 150- and 200-millimeter wafers.”
Original – onsemi
