An investment of 2 billion dollars (1.64 billion euros) to create a best in class plant capable of producing, for the first time in Italy, wafers in silicon from 300 mm in diameter, with benefits on the quantity and quality of the production semiconductors. The European response to the “microchip crisis” – even if only ideal, given that this project was launched in 2018, well before the raw materials alarm – bears the signature of Stmicroelectronics. The Italian-French group opened for the first time on June 14 to the public, in the presence of the Minister of Economic Development Giancarlo Giorgetti, the “clean room” of the new plant which, according to forecasts, should start making the first wafers in the third quarter next year (work started in 2018) reaching a production rate of 8 thousand «slices» per week when fully operational, a step higher than that of the French counterpart, Crolles300 in Grenoble.
The shortage of microchips
The announcement comes at a time when the sector is in the spotlight due to the shortage of microchips from the Far East that is slowing down many production chains, in particular that of the European car industry, forced in some cases to stop production . «I am proud – he said about it Giorgetti – to receive some phone calls from some great power asking us to encourage the production of semiconductors as much as possible because the world market suddenly lacks them and it is not possible to satisfy the demand. It doesn’t happen often ».
The managing director of the Stmicroelectronics group, Jean-Marc Chery he wished to underline in this regard the long-term strategic nature of investment on a European scale. “It will contribute significantly – he said – to the European ecosystem of power technologies because, beyond the plant itself, it will involve partners and technology suppliers, as well as collaborations with academia and private research organizations: an advantageous ecosystem. for everyone. Today – he added – we have new and greater opportunities, thanks to the extensive dialogue underway at European and member state level regarding plans for economic recovery and future growth based on digitization ».
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The agreement with the Polytechnic
A concept reaffirmed by the CEO also on the occasion of the signing of a five-year collaboration agreement between the group (10 billion in turnover and 11 thousand employees) and Politecnico di Milano, to establish a joint research center on advanced sensor materials. «The semiconductor sector – said Chery – is now widely recognized as one of the main enablers of innovation in all application sectors. It is a well-deserved recognition, but our continent needs new skills and talents to design new, more efficient systems and devices for the benefit of society ». Thanks to the support of the Government – it was recalled yesterday – Italy managed to get 2.3 billion from the plan Ipcei, more than Germany’s 1.5 billion.
The Monza factory
The new Agrate plant, called R3, will occupy 65 thousand square meters, of which 15,100 of clean room and will be able to create, when fully operational – recalled the Chairman of the Supervisory Board Maurizio Tamagnini – between 500 and 700 new skilled jobs. The new production capacity ensured by R3 is considered by ST – in Italy also active in Castelletto, in the province of Milan, and in Catania – a crucial element for strengthening the group’s competitiveness in the future, as well as being a pillar for European technological leadership in power electronics.
Raw materials alarm aside, «investments like this one in Agrate – recalled Chery – are made with a long-term perspective. We build plants that will have to operate for decades, and that means we need to have plans that build on the long-term trends that enable the electronics industry. Smart mobility, power & energy, Iot and 5G: these are the pillars that guide our investment decisions, with which we hope to overcome some of the main challenges that our customers and the whole world are facing “.