Hyundai and Kia sign up for Infineon silicon carbide

Hyundai and Kia have signed supply agreement for SiC and silicon power semiconductors from Infineon, lasting to 2030, for which Infineon which will build and reserve manufacturing capacity for SiC and Si power modules and chips.

“This partnership empowers Hyundai Motor and Kia to stabilise its semiconductor supply,” said Hyundai head of strategy Heung Soo Kim. “Infineon stands as a valued strategic partner, boasting steadfast production capabilities and distinct technological prowess within the power semiconductor market.”

With the expansion of its Kulim fab in Malaysia, which the vehicle makers will partly pay for, Infineon claims that it will have the world’s largest 200mm SiC power fab.

It also has silicon carbide manufacturing capacity in Villach, Austria, and plans to expand capacity in Dresden.

This is one of many deals between SiC component makers and car companies, who are scrambling to harden supply chains for their electric vehicles.
Some others are:
Rohm signs $1bn silicon carbide supply deal with Vitesco
Electronica: OnSemi reveals electric vehicle SiC deal (and Stellantis-Infineon SiC MoU)
Rohm teams with automotive parts maker for SiC electric vehicle drives

On the same day as Infineon revealed the Hyundai-Kia deal, Allegro Microsystems announced that it has been selected at BMW’s sole current sensor IC supplier for BMW group’s traction inverters for electric vehicles. The selected components have built-in over-current detection and self-diagnostics for functional safety and to increase reliability.

Photo, from left to right: Jason Chae (v-p semiconductor strategy Hyundai Motor Company), Heung Soo Kim (head of global strategy Hyundai), Peter Schiefer (Infineon automotive president, Peter Schaefer (ev-p of automotive marketing Infineon)