Wolfspeed and ZF recently jointly announced that they will establish a European joint research and development center for silicon carbide power electronics in the metropolitan area of Nuremberg, Germany.
The joint research and development center will address all mobility segments including passenger cars, commercial vehicles, agricultural vehicles, and industrial vehicles, as well as specific requirements of the industrial and renewable energy markets. The goal of this collaboration is to develop breakthrough innovations for SiC systems, products, and applications, covering the entire value chain from modules to complete systems, thereby reducing time-to-market.
“The research center is of outstanding importance for the energy and mobility transition in the EU and supports the strategic goals of Europe,” says Dr Holger Klein, CEO of ZF in a press release. “In addition, optimizing Silicon Carbide technology advances industrial transformation and strengthens the independence of European supply chains.”
The strategic partnership links ZF, one of the world’s leading suppliers of electric drives, with Wolfspeed, the world’s most recognized specialist in silicon carbide technology. “This connection is unique and will lead to enormous advances in silicon carbide-based electrical systems and electric drives,” says ZF Board of Management member Stephan von Schuckmann. “This is made possible by the close networking of the research center and production because fundamentally redesigned silicon carbide chips also require new production processes.”
Like the Wolfspeed silicon carbide chip factory in Ensdorf, Saarland, Germany, the R&D center is part of the Important Project of Common European Interest (IPCEI), and its implementation will be subject to approval by the European Commission and antitrust authorities. The construction of these two projects will start after the IPCEI funding approval is in place, which is expected to be later this year.
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