AI methods combined with connectivity Helped Bosch to achieve continuous, data-driven improvement in manufacturing and thereby produce better and better chips
In an effort to counter the ongoing international chipset production slump, the German global technology firm Bosch has now announced plans to extend its wafer fab in Reutlingen. In order to carry out the same, the company is offering an additional $296 million other than $473 million, which it already proclaimed to invest by the end of this year.
According to a company spokesperson, more than quarter of a billion euros will be spent in crafting production facilities and the required clean room facilities between 2022 and 2025. This effort would offer Bosch the potential to counter the ongoing escalating demand for semiconductors used in IoT and mobility applications. Dr. Stefan Hartung, chairman of the board of management of Robert Bosch GmbH told the media, "We are systematically expanding our manufacturing capacity for semiconductors in Reutlingen. This new investment will not only strengthen our competitive position, but will also benefit our customers and help combat the crisis in the semiconductor supply chain."
Apart from the expansion at Reutlingen, the company is also extending its current power supply facility and will also make an additional building for exclusively media supply systems, which will assist both the current and the new production room; the latter is expected to be ready for production by 2025. Back in October 2021, Bosch decided to invest more than 400 million euros in 2022 for the expansion of its semiconductor plants both in Reutlingen and Dresden and also in Malaysian town Penang. The company also stated that the all-new clean-room space in Reutlingen is speculated to be enlarged from 35,000 square meters to over 44,000 square meters by the end of 2025.
Now, when it comes to manufacturing, the Dresden factory crafts chips on 300-millimeter wafers, while the Reutlingen wafer fabs use 150- and 200-millimeter technology. One thing common among both the plants is that they use top-notch manufacturing procedure that is based on data-driven process control. Markus Heyn, member of the board of management of Robert Bosch GmbH, said "AI methods combined with connectivity have helped us achieve continuous, data-driven improvement in manufacturing and thereby produce better and better chips."
