Semiconductor manufacturer - Nexperia invests 184 million euros in Hamburg
The Dutch semiconductor manufacturer Nexperia will invest 184 million Euro (200 million US-Dollars) in its Hamburg plant over the next two years for the development and production of the next generation of so-called Wide-Bandgap-Semiconductors. "This investment strengthens our position as a leading provider of energy-efficient semiconductors and enables us to use available electrical energy in a responsible way more effectively," explained Germany Manager Achim Kempe at the celebration of the plant's 100th birthday in the Eimsbüttel district of Hamburg.
Nexperia - Valvo Radio Tube Factory Seed
The history of the alleged largest factory in the world for small signal diodes and transistors goes back to the Valvo Radio Tube Factory, which was founded at the location in 1924. Nexperia emerged from this in 2006 as a unit of NXP Semiconductors. Nexperia, in turn, was spun off from NXP in 2017 and was taken over majority stake by the Chinese company Wingtech Technology in 2019. The company's headquarters are in the Netherlands in Nijmegen. The company employs more than 14,000 people worldwide, approximately 1,600 of whom are in Hamburg.
In the previous year, Nexperia was excluded from the EU subsidy program IPCEI due to its Chinese participation, according to a report by "Handelsblatt". The Federal Ministry of Economics had reportedly removed the company from the list. Initially, 32 projects in eleven federal states were to benefit from the program. The EU had approved the billion-dollar subsidy program to become independent of the USA and China in microelectronics and chips. In total, it was about subsidies worth 8.1 billion Euros, including private investments even up to 21.8 billion Euros.
100 Billion Semiconductors per Year
Nexperia, according to its own statements, produces approximately 100 billion semiconductors per year, which are used as electronic switches in headphones, smartphones, cars, and solar panels. Nexperia-Germany Manager Stefan Tilger emphasized: "Our products are the screws and nuts that make new technologies possible - and they are in demand: Every second, we produce 3,000 of them here in Hamburg." This is a quarter of the global production of small signal semiconductors.
Hamburg's Senator for Economics Melanie Leonhard (SPD) stated in a press release that Nexperia is one of the most successful companies in the semiconductor industry. The research and development ecosystem in Hamburg and Northern Germany offers excellent networking opportunities. "The knowledge exchange between economy and science promotes the training of urgently needed specialists and the production at the Hamburg site contributes to European semiconductor sovereignty."
- The investment of 200 million USD from Nexperia, a Dutch semiconductor manufacturer and subsidiary of NXP, will be utilized in its Hamburg plant for the development and production of Wide-Bandgap-Semiconductors, which aligns with the EU's goal of becoming independent in microelectronics and chips.
- Despite being excluded from the EU subsidy program IPCEI due to its Chinese participation in 2020, Nexperia continues to be recognized as a leading player in the semiconductor industry in Hamburg, contributing significantly to the production of electronic switches used in various technologies, including smartphones and solar panels.
- In a move to diversify its ownership, Nexperia was taken over by the Chinese company Wingtech Technology in 2019, with its operations spanning across 11 countries, including Lokstedt in Hamburg, where it employs approximately 1,600 people and produces a quarter of the global production of small signal semiconductors, contributing to European semiconductor sovereignty.
