At the beginning of 2023, the construction of the world’s largest factory for silicon carbide semiconductors was announced. The project is delayed – indefinitely.
The US company Wolfspeed is postponing the construction of a chip factory planned in Saarland indefinitely. This was announced by Saarland Prime Minister Anke Rehlinger (SPD) in Saarbrücken. “The project is not shelved, but it has been pushed further back on the timeline to an indefinite point in time, especially depending on the developing market situation.” Wolfspeed remains committed to the Ensdorf location, said Rehlinger.
The “uncertainties that have now arisen surrounding the investment at Wolfspeed” are “a setback for Saarland” and also “a setback for structural change in Saarland”. This shows the difficult market situation for e-mobility in Germany and Europe.
“We are experiencing the automotive industry in difficult waters with a really profound uncertainty regarding the market situation,” said Rehlinger. There is a similar situation at chip factories. “Their products also depend a lot on the automotive sector and electromobility.”
The construction of the planned chip factory by the US company Wolfspeed was recently delayed. In June of this year it was said that construction on the site of a former coal-fired power plant was not expected to begin until 2025. In 2023, Wolfspeed said they wanted to start as quickly as possible. According to previous information, investments of around 2.7 billion euros and at least 600 jobs are planned.
When the US group presented the plans in Ensdorf at the beginning of 2023, the factory should be the world’s largest factory for semiconductors made of silicon carbide. Semiconductors allow electric cars to charge faster and drive further. However, sources said the e-mobility market had developed differently than planned. “We hoped for more.”