With the popularization of intelligence, semiconductors have become more and more popular in various electronic fields. After about two years of chip shortages, semiconductor manufacturers have learned to plan ahead. With the increase in market demand, major manufacturers have taken actions to expand factories and increase production.
onsemi inauguration of its SiC facility
Onsemi recently announced the completion of its silicon carbide plant in Hudson, New Hampshire. The base is expected to increase the company's SiC gold ingot production capacity fivefold year-on-year by the end of 2022.
This expansion gives Onsemi full control of its SiC manufacturing supply chain, starting with sourcing SiC powder and graphite raw materials to deliver fully packaged SiC devices. This enables onsemi to provide its customers with the supply assurance they need to meet the rapidly growing demand for SiC solutions.
The popularity of electric vehicles has led to an increase in the demand for automotive components. Silicon carbide is critical for improving the efficiency of electric vehicles (EVs), EV charging and energy infrastructure, and is an important contributor on the road to decarbonization. The total addressable market for SiC is expected to grow from $2B in 2021 to $6.5B in 2026, a CAGR of 33%.
“In addition to market-leading efficiency of our products, our end-to-end vertically integrated solution in a supply-constrained environment is a compelling and differentiated competitive advantage,” said Simon Keeton, executive vice president and general manager Power Solutions Group at onsemi. “We have already expanded to a second building as we increased our substrate capacity and plan to continue ramping, allowing us to source our own cutting-edge SiC wafers for customer products.”
Kyocera invest to build a new factory for increasing the production of MLCC
Kyocera will invest 15 billion yen to build a new factory in the Kagoshima prefecture factory area to increase the production of MLCC. The new plant is expected to start construction in spring 2023 and start production in 2024.
Kyocera's MLCC has a global market share of about 6%. In 2020, Kyocera will spend about 100 billion yen to make MLCC manufacturer Kyocera AVX Components a complete subsidiary. In response to the surge in demand for components related to semiconductors and electric vehicles, Kyocera will invest 450 billion yen in three years from 2021 to expand production equipment in factories in Japan, Southeast Asia and other places and expand supply capacity.
MLCC is a very widely used electronic component, and it exists in almost every circuit design. With the increase of 5G communication and general-purpose equipment for vehicles, the market demand for MLCCs continues to increase.
The new factory will increase the production of MLCC for high-speed 5G communication equipment, and is expected to increase production capacity by 20%. It is expected that MLCC revenue in 2025 will increase to 200 billion yen, twice that in 2021.