Through this strategically significant step, we are strengthening our supply chain to safely supply our customers. By 2030, our orders for electric vehicles have now exceeded 30 billion euros. For this quantity, we need several reliable silicon carbide equipment suppliers, "said Stephan von Schuckmann, a member of the ZF Management Committee responsible for electric vehicles and materials management. At STMicroelectronics, we now have a supplier with experience in complex systems that meets our requirements, and most importantly, the supplier is able to produce equipment with extremely high quality and the required quantity. With this agreement, ZF has obtained a world-class supplier of silicon carbide technology in addition to the existing silicon carbide technology cooperation agreement announced in February.http://www.ic-bom.com/

As a vertically integrated company, we are investing heavily in expanding production capacity and developing our silicon carbide supply chain to support our global and European customers in the automotive and industrial sectors, as they pursue electrification and decarbonization goals, "said Marco Monti, President of the Automotive and Industrial Division of Italian Semiconductor.. The key to the success of electric vehicle technology is greater scalability and modularity, as well as higher efficiency, peak power, and affordability. Our silicon carbide technology helps achieve these advantages, and we are proud to collaborate with leading automotive electrification supplier ZF to help them differentiate and optimize the performance of inverters

ST will produce silicon carbide chips at its production plants in Italy and Singapore, and package the chips into ST‘s advanced packaging STPAK, and conduct testing at its backend factories in Morocco and China.http://www.ic-bom.com/

ZF can connect a variable number of such devices together to meet customer performance requirements

ST will supply millions of third-generation silicon carbide MOSFET devices to ZF starting from 2025. ZF can connect a variable number of such devices together to meet customer performance requirements without changing the inverter design. Among them, ZF will use this technology in vehicle inverters at a European automaker, which plans to start production in 2025.http://www.ic-bom.com/

The inverter is the brain of the power transmission system. It manages the energy flow from the battery to the electric motor, and vice versa. With each step of development, inverters become more efficient and complex. The combination of inverter design and semiconductors such as silicon carbide is the key to improving the performance of electric vehicles. Silicon carbide devices significantly reduce power losses in electric vehicle inverters, as well as in wind turbines and photovoltaic inverters. Compared to traditional silicon based products, devices made of silicon carbide have decisive advantages, such as higher efficiency, power density, and reliability. At the same time, they also support smaller and more cost-effective system designs. In short, electric vehicles equipped with silicon carbide based semiconductors have faster charging speeds, longer driving distances, and greater space.

Wolfspeed and ZF establish a partnership

On February 1st, Wolfspeed, the global leader of silicon carbide technology in the United States, announced the establishment of a strategic partnership with ZF Group, a global technology company dedicated to building next-generation mobility. Both sides plan to establish a joint innovation laboratory to promote the progress of silicon carbide system and equipment technology in the fields of transportation, industry, and energy applications. The strategic partnership also includes a major investment by ZF to support the construction of the world‘s largest and most advanced 200mm silicon carbide wafer factory in Ensdorf, Germany. The Joint Innovation Laboratory and Wolfspeed wafer factory will be part of the microelectronics and communication technology framework of the European Common Interest Initiative (IPCEI), and their implementation will be subject to approval by the European Commission‘s national assistance rules.http://www.ic-bom.com/

Dr. Holger Klein, CEO of ZF Group, said, "This is an important step towards successful industrial transformation. It strengthens the elasticity of supply from Europe while supporting the implementation of the European Green Agreement and the strategic goals of the ‘EU Digital Decade‘

The strategic partnership between the two sides includes the establishment of a joint research and development institution in Germany, which will focus on addressing challenges at the level of electric mobility and renewable energy systems in the real world. The goal of cooperation is to bring breakthrough innovation to silicon carbide systems, products and applications, which will cover the entire value chain from chips to complete systems. This project will also invite more partners to participate in launching an end-to-end silicon carbide innovation network in Europe.

This research and development center focuses on innovation in silicon carbide systems and equipment, meeting specific requirements in all travel segments including consumer, commercial, agricultural, and industrial vehicles, as well as industrial and renewable energy markets. This collaborative project will further optimize electrification solutions, including improving energy efficiency, power density, and performance.http://www.ic-bom.com/