Dr. Markus Hein, Member of the Board of Management of the Bosch Group and Chairman of Bosch Smart Mobility Group: “We are helping our customers bring more powerful and efficient electric vehicles to market.”
Bosch’s new generation of silicon carbide chips offers a 20% improvement in overall performance, further enhancing the efficiency of the entire electric drive system.
Since production began in 2021, Bosch has delivered more than 60 million silicon carbide chips globally.
Bosch is responding swiftly to the rapid development of China’s new energy vehicle market through a comprehensive local R&D, testing, and production network.
Silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductors are key to improving the efficiency and increasing the range of electric vehicles. Bosch is rapidly advancing its R&D in this field: the company has officially launched its third-generation silicon carbide chip and has begun providing samples to automakers worldwide. This means that more and more electric vehicles will soon be equipped with Bosch’s latest third-generation silicon carbide products. “Silicon carbide semiconductors are the core ‘metronome’ of electric mobility,” said Dr. Markus Hein, Member of the Bosch Board of Management and Chairman of Bosch Smart Mobility Group. “They precisely control energy flow and bring it to its most efficient state.”
“China is not only the world’s largest market for new energy vehicles, but also a leader in the adoption of cutting-edge electrification architectures such as the 800V high-voltage platform,” said Bruno Schuster, Head of Bosch Power Semiconductors Asia Pacific. “Our new third-generation silicon carbide technology is designed specifically to meet these stringent high-efficiency requirements. Bosch will combine its strong global technology reserves with its continuously improving local service capabilities to fully empower the innovation and development of its local automotive customers in China.”
Billions of Euros Invested in Global Manufacturing Network and Local Empowerment
Silicon carbide semiconductors offer significantly higher switching speeds and operating efficiencies than traditional silicon chips. They not only drastically reduce energy loss but also enable higher power densities in electronic devices. Bosch’s new generation of semiconductors not only provides technological advantages but also delivers significant economic benefits. “Our new generation of chips offers 20% better performance and is more compact than the previous generation,” explained Dr. Markus Hein. “This miniaturization is a key long-term factor for achieving greater cost-effectiveness in the future, as we can produce more chips on a single wafer. In this way, Bosch makes a substantial contribution to the further popularization of high-performance electronic devices.” Since launching its first-generation product in 2021, Bosch has delivered more than 60 million silicon carbide chips globally.
In recent years, Bosch has made continuous progress in the research and development of silicon carbide chips and has continued to invest in its factory in Reutlingen, Germany, producing third-generation chips on advanced 200mm wafers. In addition, the company plans to invest approximately €1.9 billion to equip its recently acquired production facility in Roswell, California, USA. The factory is expected to produce its first samples for customer testing this year. The two factories in Germany and the United States will jointly ensure semiconductor supply, creating capacity to meet global market demand and building a more resilient and robust global supply chain for the automotive industry. In its medium-term plan, Bosch aims to increase its annual production capacity of silicon carbide power semiconductors to hundreds of millions of units.
Regarding production capacity layout, Bruno Schuster, Head of Bosch Power Semiconductors Asia Pacific, added: “This global manufacturing network will deeply empower Chinese customers. Currently, China's new energy vehicle industry is undergoing a leapfrog development from 400V to 800V high-voltage platforms, creating an extremely urgent demand for high-performance, high-reliability silicon carbide chips. Through its dual-center layout in Reutlingen, Germany and Roswell, USA, Bosch can not only provide customers with ample, cross-regional production capacity guarantees, but also help mainstream Chinese automakers mitigate supply risks and ensure safe and stable production during their global expansion through a highly resilient global supply chain.”
Deeply Rooted in the Local Market, Agile Service
In addition to its global production capacity layout, Bosch has established a dedicated silicon carbide power semiconductor R&D team and testing laboratory in Shanghai, aiming to provide agile technical support for the differentiated needs of the local new energy vehicle market. Meanwhile, Bosch's silicon carbide power module production base in Suzhou has achieved localized mass production. This combination of "global chip supply + local module manufacturing + local R&D verification" ensures that Bosch can collaborate deeply with major local automakers and advanced local substrate suppliers, significantly shortening the conversion cycle from prototype to mass production and jointly defining the technological standards for future efficient mobility.
The unique "Bosch process" is key to success.
To achieve stronger performance while reducing chip size, Bosch leveraged its unique manufacturing expertise. The company adopted the "Bosch process," widely recognized in the industry since 1994. This trench etching technology, originally developed for sensors, enables the creation of high-precision vertical structures in silicon carbide. This structure significantly increases the chip's power density—a key factor in the superior performance of Bosch's third-generation silicon carbide chips in high-voltage applications, including 800V.