Construction of an automated chip factory for 300nm thin-film wafer production in Villach, Austria

Infineon is building an automated chip factory in Villach, Austria, to produce 300mm thin-film wafers. The company will invest a total of approximately 1.6 billion euros (about 2.0436 trillion won) over six years, and the efficient new factory is expected to create about 400 new jobs. Construction of the new factory is expected to begin in the first half of 2019, with production starting in early 2021. When the production facilities are fully operational, the additional potential revenue is estimated at approximately 1.8 billion euros per year.

Dr. Reinhard Ploss, CEO of Infineon Technologies, stated, “Global demand for power semiconductors is surging, and Infineon is growing more robustly than the market, particularly as a company sought after by customers.” He added, “This growth is underpinned by global megatrends such as climate change, demographic shifts, and increasing digitalization. Electric vehicles, connected and battery-powered devices, data centers, and power generation using renewable energy sources require efficient and reliable power semiconductors. The new factory in Pilach will enable us to meet this growing demand and continue driving Infineon’s growth.”

Pilach is Infineon's core competency center for power semiconductors and the location where 300mm thin-film wafer production was developed. Large-diameter wafers significantly increase productivity and reduce working capital. Infineon plans to apply factory automation and digitalization concepts to the new Pilach plant. It is expected that 300mm production capacity will be fully operational in 2021.

According to market research by IHS Markit, Infineon is the world's largest power semiconductor supplier, holding an 18.5 percent market share. Power semiconductors control the flow of electricity in applications such as electric vehicles, trains, wind and solar power generation, and power supplies for mobile phones, laptops, and data centers.