STMicroelectronics starts construction of another chip plant in Italy

The French-Italian semiconductor manufacturer STMicroelectronics does not want to rest on its laurels. After two consecutive years of success (2017 and 2018), STMicroelectronics is starting construction of another 300 mm chip plant in Agrate, Italy. The purpose of this investment is to further improve the brand's competitiveness and better meet the needs of the power component market. This is the second plant in the company's history to manufacture semiconductors on 300 mm diameter chips. STMicroelectronics already has them in Crolle, Tours, Rousset, Agrate, Catania and Singapore. However, these installations still rely on smaller chips, i.e. 200 or 150 mm in diameter. The new facility will be located in STMicroelectronics' industrial site near Milan, with a total estimated investment of between $1.8 billion and $2 billion. It will enable the brand to converge intelligence and power technologies, and above all to increase productivity. According to Jean-Marc Chéry, the group's boss, the plant should be able to produce between 5,000 and 6,000 wafers per week by 2021. This production is comparable to that of its other plant already operational in Crolles, near Grenoble. This announcement was made by Jean-Marc Chéry on 24 January 2019, the date on which the company presented its results for 2018.