In the face of the global chip shortage, Bosch has announced a nine-figure investment in its chip manufacturing facilities. In 2022 alone, Bosch plans to invest more than €400 Million in expanding its wafer fabs in Dresden and Reutlingen, Germany, and its semiconductor operations in Penang, Malaysia. 

“Demand for chips is continuing to grow at breakneck speed. In light of current developments, we are systematically expanding our semiconductor production so we can provide our customers with the best possible support,” says Dr. Volkmar Denner, chairman of the board of management of Robert Bosch GmbH. Most of the capital expenditure is earmarked for Bosch’s new 300-millimeter wafer fab in Dresden, where manufacturing capacity is to be expanded even faster in 2022. Around 50 million euros of the planned sum will be spent on the wafer fab in Reutlingen near Stuttgart in the coming year. Bosch will invest a total of 150 million euros in additional clean-room space here from 2021 to 2023. 

In Penang, Malaysia, Bosch is also building a test centre for semiconductors from scratch. Starting in 2023, the facility will test finished semiconductor chips and sensors. Dr. Denner added, “These planned investments demonstrate once again the strategic importance of having our own manufacturing capacity for the core technology of semiconductors.”