Bosch has unveiled its third-generation silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductors, targeting global market leadership with a 20% performance boost and a reduced chip size. The German industrial giant is ramping up production across two new factories on separate continents to secure its position in the competitive electric vehicle component sector.
These new SiC chips are engineered to enhance power efficiency in EVs, notably in traction inverters that convert battery DC current to AC for the motor. The improved performance can increase an electric car's range by up to 6%, a critical metric for automakers. Bosch is already supplying these chips to major customers and plans to use them in its own electric powertrain systems.
To support its ambitious scale-up, Bosch is activating dedicated SiC production lines at its wafer fab in Reutlingen, Germany, and at a new facility in Suzhou, China. This dual-continent manufacturing strategy is designed to strengthen supply chain resilience and meet growing global demand. The company has invested over one billion euros in its semiconductor business since 2021, with a significant portion dedicated to SiC technology.
Bosch's move intensifies the race for SiC market dominance, where it faces established players like STMicroelectronics and Wolfspeed. The broader industry context includes a projected tripling of the SiC semiconductor market to over $4 billion within the next five years, driven primarily by automotive electrification. Bosch's integrated approach—controlling production from wafer to finished chip—aims to give it a competitive edge in reliability and volume supply as the EV transition accelerates.