Dr Volkmar Denner, chairman of Robert Bosch , said: “Semiconductors are the core components of all electronic systems. With connectivity and automation growing, they are being used in more and more areas of application. By extending our semiconductor manufacturing capacity, we are giving ourselves a sound basis for the future and strengthening our competitiveness.”
Construction of the plant, which will involve an investment of around €1billion, is scheduled for completion by the end of 2019, with manufacturing likely start at the end of 2021.
Bosch has been making chips for 45 years and its Reutlingen fab currently produces 1.5million ASICs and 4m MEMS sensors a day on 6 and 8in wafers. Its semiconductor portfolio includes acceleration, yaw, mass-flow, pressure, and environmental sensors, as well as microphones, power semiconductors, and ASICs for vehicle ECUs.
