Onsemi and Czech ministry drop Rožnov SiC expansion plan
Illustrative image: Mathew Schwartz on Unsplash
Onsemi and the Czech Ministry of Industry and Trade have confirmed they will not proceed with the planned expansion to add end-to-end silicon carbide (SiC) production at onsemi's Rožnov pod Radhoštěm site, a project first announced in June 2024 as a multi-year brownfield investment of up to $2 billion.
The companies attribute the decision to the evolving dynamics of the global SiC market, describing it as unrelated to the Czech Republic's investment environment. Existing silicon and SiC manufacturing operations at Rožnov are unaffected and continue as part of onsemi's global manufacturing network.
Onsemi says it expects to continue investing in and hiring at both its Rožnov and Brno sites, citing demand across automotive, industrial, AI data centre and emerging applications. Karel Havlíček, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industry and Trade, said the decision reflects current conditions in the global semiconductor market, and welcomed onsemi's continuing production at Rožnov alongside its R&D activities in the Czech Republic.
No further detail was given on what specifically changed in SiC market or project economics since the original 2024 announcement, or on the scale of any continuing investment at the two sites.
