Semiconductor Leaders Increase Investment in Germany
Statistics show that by the end of 2021, China has been Germany's largest trading partner in the world for six consecutive years. While German enterprises attach great importance to the Chinese market, Chinese enterprises are also continuously increasing their investment in Germany. In the centre of Hamburg, the fabs of Onse Semiconductor, owned by Muntech, are being massively expanded.
ANSI Semiconductor is a global professional manufacturer of vertical, logic and MOSFET devices. According to public data, the company has more than 14,000 employees, more than 25,000 customers and more than 15,000 product categories worldwide. Every year, it adds more than 800 new products, all of which are auto scale products, and the total annual production exceeds 100 billion pieces.
Located in the center of Hamburg, the oldest and largest wafer factory in Hamburg is the only one of its kind. Under the strategic arrangement of Muntae Technology, Anse Semiconductor is continuously increasing its investment in Hamburg, Germany.
In February 2021, ANSI announced a significant increase in its global investment in manufacturing capacity and R&D in 2021, including the implementation of a new 200mm technology at its fabs in Hamburg, Germany, and increased investment in new technologies for wide-band gap semiconductor manufacturing.
The company's fabs in Hamburg, Germany, produce more than 35,000 wafers (8-inch equivalent) per month, which translates into 70 billion semiconductors per year, making it the world's largest wafer fab for small signal and discrete diode devices.
In addition, official news revealed that Aixtron MOCVD, a key equipment for the research and production of compound semiconductor epitaxy materials, has been deployed at the ANSy Semi-conductor Hamburg wafer plant for mass production of silicon carbide epitaxy using G5WWC technology.
In the first half of this year, CEO Xuezheng Zhang and CFO Stefan Tilger briefed the Mayor of Hamburg, Dr. Peter Tschentscher, about the expansion of chip production, investment in research and development and the plan of ANSI to make Hamburg a center of power semiconductor innovation. These chips are an important part of future technologies such as renewable energy, electric vehicles and digitalization in the industrial sector.
Earlier, foreign media reported that ANSy Semiconductor wants to expand the Hamburg fab capacity.
According to the report, the company employs about 1,500 people at its fabs in Hamburg, Germany, and will add nearly 300 more in the future. "We are investing 110 million euros in Hamburg in 2021/2022 alone, and we are massively expanding and modernizing our production," the company's German executive was quoted as saying.
The production expansion at the Hamburg fab is in line with the European Union's goal of more than doubling the world market share of European-made semiconductor chips to 20 percent by 2030, according to the report.
As a matter of fact, it is not difficult to trace the history of AnSE Semiconductor and its deep roots in Germany.
ANSI Semiconductor originated in Europe, its headquarters is located in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, the former Philips semiconductor Standard Products division.
In 1920, Mullard Radio Valve Corporation was founded in London, England, followed by RRF GmbH in 1924 in Hamburg, Germany, which was later renamed Valvo. In 1927 both Mullard and Valvo were acquired by Philips.
In 1953, Philips established its semiconductor division, Valvo began to develop germanium based point-contact diodes and transistors, and the Hamburg wafer Factory was established in the same year.
In 1975, Philips acquired and integrated Signetics, a Silicon Valley logic device manufacturer, and its semiconductor business grew to become the world's largest semiconductor producer in the 20th century. At that time, its semiconductor business Standard Products division was considered the predecessor of ANSy Semiconductor.
In 2006, Philips sold its semiconductor business and Philips Semiconductor (Philips Semiconductor Division) became NXP Semiconductors and became an independent company. In 2017, the Standard Products Business Group of NXP Semiconductors was officially independent as ANSI Semiconductor, and the related assets of the business group, including the Hamburg wafer factory, were transferred to ANSI Semiconductor.
In 2019, Wentai bought 100 percent of ANSI for $5.3 billion. It is the largest-ever acquisition in China's semiconductor industry.
At the end of last month, Wentai Technology released the third quarter report of 2022. Data showed that the net profit of ANSI Semiconductor in the first three quarters reached 2.736 billion yuan, with a year-on-year growth of 34.80%. The net profit in the third quarter exceeded 1 billion yuan, a record high for a single quarter. At the same time, the quarterly report also disclosed that the company's new 8-inch wafer production line in Hamburg, Germany, has been successfully put into operation.
