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With the general trend of new energy, giants are also paying more attention to the investment of silicon carbide. Recently, stmicroelectronics and ZF signed a long-term supply contract for silicon carbide devices, and Mitsubishi Electric also announced that it will double its investment plan to increase the production of silicon carbide power semiconductors.

Zf signs long term contract with ST

On April 13, according to ST news, from 2025 onwards, ZF will purchase silicon carbide devices from ST, under the terms of this multi-year contract, ST will supply millions of third-generation silicon carbide MOSFETs to ZF. Zf can connect a variable number of such devices together to meet customer performance requirements without changing the design of the inverter. Zf will use the technology in vehicle inverters from a European automaker, which plans to start production in 2025.

Devices manufactured using SiC offer decisive advantages over traditional silicon-based products, such as higher efficiency, higher power density and increased reliability. At the same time, they enable smaller, more cost-effective system designs. As a result, when electric vehicles are equipped with SiC based semiconductors, they charge faster, travel farther and provide more space.

ST will manufacture the silicon carbide chips at its production facilities in Italy and Singapore, package the chips into an advanced package STPAK developed by ST and test them at its back-end facilities in Morocco and China. Zf will leverage ST's silicon carbide manufacturing strengths in Europe and Asia to secure customer orders in the electric vehicle sector.

Stephan von Schuckmann, member of the ZF Board of Management, said: "With this strategically important step, we are strengthening our supply chain so that we can safely supply our customers. Our order book for electric vehicles now exceeds €30 billion by 2030.

Marco Monti, President Automotive and Industrial, ST's Division Group, said: "As a vertically integrated company, we are investing heavily to expand our production capacity and develop our silicon carbide supply chain to support our global and European customers in the automotive and industrial sectors.

Mitsubishi Electric plans to double its investment

In response to the rapidly growing demand for SiC power semiconductors for electric vehicles, Samsung Electric is also preparing to double its investment plan.

Mitsubishi Electric announced last month that it would double its previously announced investment plan to about 260 billion yen over five years, mainly to build new fabs to increase production of silicon carbide (SiC) power semiconductors.

Of the additional investment, 100 billion yen will be used to build a new 8-inch SiC wafer fab and enhance related production facilities. The new plant, which will incorporate its own facilities in the Sakai area of Kumamoto Prefecture, will produce large diameter 8-inch SiC wafers, introducing a clean room with state-of-the-art energy efficiency and a high level of automated production efficiency. Mitsubishi Electric will also strengthen its production facilities for 6-inch SiC wafers to meet the growing demand in this segment.

A further 10 billion yen will be spent on a new plant that will consolidate existing operations currently scattered in the Fukuoka area for assembly and inspection of power semiconductors. The remaining 20 billion yen is all new investment, which will be used for equipment improvements, environmental arrangements and related operations.

It is understood that Mitsubishi Electric began mass production of silicon carbide power semiconductors in 2010. According to Yole statistics, Mitsubishi Electric occupies the sixth place in the global silicon carbide power semiconductor market in 2021. Romany ranked fourth among Japanese companies. Fuji Electric and Toshiba also entered the world's top 10, followed by ST.

Due to the gradual popularity of electric vehicles, the market demand for silicon carbide is increasing. St has said, "Today's new cars, as long as silicon carbide can be used, will no longer use traditional power devices." Since ST began mass production of silicon carbide products, cargauge silicon carbide devices have shipped more than 100 million pieces.

Brokerages expect that by 2025, the global silicon carbide device market is expected to reach 7.43 billion US dollars.