TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — As Taiwan’s Foxconn looks to gain a foothold within the electric vehicle (EV) sector, the company announced last week it is seeking to manufacture automotive chips in-house, Nikkei reported.Foxconn said on May 9 that it had signed a memorandum of understanding with Germany’s Infineon Technologies, a global leader in power semiconductors, to develop silicon carbide (SiC) technology and applications in Taiwan. Chips based on SiC can have improved power efficiency and can extend driving ranges for EVs compared to current silicon alternatives, according to Nikkei.Under the agreement, Foxconn and Infineon will work together on the implementation of SiC technology in automotive applications such as traction inverters, onboard chargers, and DC-DC converters.The two companies also plan to set up a system application center in Taiwan in 2023 to further expand the scope of their cooperation. The center will work on optimizing vehicle applications, including smart cabin applications, advanced driver assistance systems, and autonomous driving applications.The collaboration includes several of Infineon’s car products, including sensors, microcontrollers, power semiconductors, high-performance memories for specific applications, human-machine interfaces, and security solutions.The Taiwanese contract manufacturer is expecting to begin SiC chip production by the end of 2023 at a factory it bought in Hsinchu in 2021, per Nikkei. Due to issues with increasing production capacity and quality control, Foxconn will rely on Infineon chips for the time being, the report noted.Growing its presence in the power semiconductor sector will be a challenge for Foxconn as 10 companies in Japan, the U.S., and Europe currently control 75% of the global market, Nikkei said.By Eric Chang, Taiwan News, Staff Writer2023/05/15 16:23 (ICE TAIPEI)

Fonte notizia: Organi di Stampa - Taiwan News