Wolfspeed will invest up to $5 billion to build what it claims will be the world's largest silicon carbide (SiC) material plant to strengthen its supply of semiconductors critical to the future of electric vehicles (EVs).
The company said the new facility will be located on the outskirts of Raleigh, North Carolina, near its corporate headquarters in Research Triangle Park.
The new fab will help the company keep up with the growing external and external demand for SiC wafers in the coming years. Power MOSFETs made from SiC have special physical properties that allow them to output more power and dissipate less heat when regulating or converting electricity. This leads to better power density and system-level efficiency – especially at higher voltages.
The company is struggling to keep up with growing demand for SiC-based power MOSFETs and other chips, largely due to a lack of capacity for raw materials and facilities that can process them into chips.
Gregg Lowe, Wolfspeed President and CEO, said: "Demand for our products continues to grow rapidly while the industry continues to be constrained by supply. Expanding our material production will further enhance our market leadership and allow us to better serve our customers. growing demand."
Construction of the first phase will be completed in 2024 and will cost about $2 billion, Wolfspeed said. Wolfspeed will add more capacity as needed in a second phase expected to be completed in 2030.
The new facility could eventually occupy more than 1 million square feet on the 450-acre site, creating 1,800 jobs by 2030. According to Wolfspeed, its investment in the site could be as high as $5 billion.