Recently, STMicroelectronics, a leading global semiconductor technology company, announced that it will build a new large-scale silicon carbide (SIC) factory in the Catania region of Italy. This move aims to strengthen the company's leading position in power device and module production, and provide advanced testing and packaging services.

It is reported that the total investment of the project will reach 5 billion euros (approximately 39.261 billion yuan), with the Italian government providing approximately 2 billion euros in financial support.

The new factory is expected to officially start production in 2026 and achieve full capacity production by 2033, with the ability to produce 15000 wafers per week. STMicroelectronics stated that this new factory will become the core of the company's global silicon carbide ecosystem, covering the entire industry chain from silicon carbide substrate development, epitaxial growth processes, to 200mm front-end wafer manufacturing and module back-end assembly, as well as the integration of process research and development, product design, and packaging capabilities.

It is worth noting that this new factory will be the first base in Europe to achieve large-scale production of 200mm silicon carbide wafers, marking an important breakthrough in the development of the silicon carbide industry in Europe. At present, STMicroelectronics has two 150mm wafer production lines in Catania, Italy and Ang Mo Kio, Singapore, and has jointly built a 200mm factory with Sanan Optoelectronics in Chongqing, specifically serving the Chinese market.

Silicon carbide, as a compound semiconductor material, performs well in power applications and has higher performance and efficiency compared to traditional silicon materials. Therefore, silicon carbide power devices have broad application prospects in fields such as new energy vehicles and photovoltaic energy storage. With the continuous growth of market demand, it is predicted that the market size of SiC power devices will increase from $3.04 billion in 2023 to $9.17 billion in 2028, with a compound annual growth rate of up to 25%.

The decision of STMicroelectronics to build a silicon carbide factory in Italy will not only enhance the company's competitiveness in the global silicon carbide market, but also promote the development of the silicon carbide industry in Europe, bringing more opportunities to the relevant industry chain. In addition, the financial support provided by the Italian government also demonstrates the country's emphasis on semiconductor technology and clean energy industry, which is expected to attract more international enterprises to invest in the future.

Faust Technology focuses on the field of power devices, providing customers with power devices such as IGBT and IPM modules, as well as MCU and touch chips. It is an electronic component supplier and solution provider with core technology.