Bosch CEO announced in April that it intended to acquire significant portions of TSI Semiconductor’s Roseville, California chip manufacturing facility and invest $1.5 billion to upgrade the location to produce silicon carbide chips, which can extend the driving range of electric vehicles. Beginning in 2026, production will begin at the new business, Robert Bosch Semiconductor LLC.
Robert Bosch’s top executive stated on Wednesday that the business needs government assistance from the United States in order to complete the full expansion it has planned for a California chip facility it is acquiring.
Bosch Ceo announced in April that it intended to acquire significant portions of TSI Semiconductor’s Roseville, California chip manufacturing facility and invest $1.5 billion to upgrade the location to produce silicon carbide chips, which can extend the driving range of electric vehicles. Beginning in 2026, production will begin at the new business, Robert Bosch Semiconductor LLC.
The state of California has authorized a $25 million tax credit for the plant, according to a statement from Bosch on Wednesday.
Bosch Chief Executive Stefan Hartung told Reuters in an interview while visiting San Francisco that the facility’s ability to grow to its intended full size “depends on the support of the U.S. government, the regional government, or the California government.” Additionally, it has some backing currently, but certainly needs more.
The TSI facility, together with two facilities in Germany, would form the “third pillar” of internal semiconductor production, according to Bosch. According to Hartung, purchasing the Californian facility, which has been producing automotive-grade chips since the 1980s, will hasten Bosch’s entry into the competition to develop silicon carbide chips. The company claims that the demand for the chips is increasing by 30% annually.
