The signing ceremony took place at Renesas' headquarters in Tokyo between Hidetoshi Shibata, President and CEO of Renesas, and Gregg Lowe, President and CEO of Wolfspeed.
The ten-year supply agreement sees Wolfspeed supply Renesas with 150 mm bare and epitaxial silicon carbide wafers starting in CY2025, reinforcing both companies' vision for an industry-wide transition of power semiconductor devices from silicon to silicon carbide. The agreement also provides for the supply of 200 mm bare and epitaxial silicon carbide wafers to Renesas once the recently announced John Palmour Silicon Carbide Fabrication Center (the "JP") is fully operational.
The need for more efficient power semiconductors to deliver and manage electricity is increasing dramatically across all industrial and automotive applications, spurred by the growth of electric vehicles (EVs) and renewable energy. Renesas is moving quickly to meet the growing demand for power semiconductors by expanding its in-house manufacturing capacity. The company recently announced the resumption of IGBT production at its Kofu factory and the establishment of a silicon carbide production line at its Takasaki factory.
Compared to conventional silicon power semiconductors, silicon carbide devices enable greater energy efficiency, higher power density, and lower system costs. In an increasingly energy-conscious world, the adoption of silicon carbide is becoming more widespread across multiple high-volume applications, including electric vehicles, renewable energy and storage, charging infrastructure, industrial power supplies, traction, and variable speed drives.
“The wafer supply agreement with Wolfspeed will provide Renesas with a stable, long-term supply base of high-quality silicon carbide wafers. This allows Renesas to expand its power semiconductor offering to better serve its customers’ broad range of applications,” said Hidetoshi Shibata, President and CEO of Renesas. “We are now poised to rise as a key player in the rapidly accelerating silicon carbide market.”
“With the growing demand for silicon carbide in the automotive, industrial, and energy sectors, it is vital to have top power semiconductor customers like Renesas to help lead the global transition from silicon to silicon carbide,” said Gregg Lowe, President and CEO of Wolfspeed. “For more than 35 years, Wolfspeed has focused on producing high-quality silicon carbide wafers and power devices, and this relationship marks an important step in our mission to save the world energy.”
Renesas' $2 billion deposit will help support Wolfspeed's ongoing capacity-building projects, including the JP, the world's largest silicon carbide materials fabrication facility in Chatham County, North Carolina. This multi-billion-dollar, state-of-the-art facility aims to increase Wolfspeed's current silicon carbide production capacity at its Durham, North Carolina, campus more than tenfold. The plant will primarily produce 200mm silicon carbide wafers, which are 1.7 times larger than 150mm wafers, resulting in more chips per wafer and ultimately lower device costs.
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Renesas and Wolfspeed sign a 10-year silicon carbide wafer supply agreement
Renesas Electronics Corporation and Wolfspeed today announced the signing of a wafer supply agreement and a $2 billion deposit from Renesas to secure a 10-year commitment to supply Wolfspeed silicon carbide wafers and epitaxials. The supply of high-quality silicon carbide wafers from Wolfspeed will pave the way for Renesas to ramp up production of silicon carbide power semiconductors starting in 2025.
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