With the German government’s high-tech agenda and microelectronics strategy, two documents were recently published that clearly highlighted the semiconductor industry and its enormous importance at a political level. What for a long time ran behind closed doors and most people didn’t even notice has now arrived in the middle of society – microelectronics. This was also emphasized by Roland Schwarz, Director of the Dresden Technical Collections, in his opening speech. The sometimes tiny components manufactured in the Dresden fabs accompany or encounter us almost everywhere today. Whether vehicles, energy systems, medical technology, tools or consumer electronics – so many products and areas contain chips “made in Dresden”.
Roland Schwarz, Director of the Dresden Technical Collections at the opening ceremony.
So it was hardly surprising when Frank Bösenberg, Managing Director of Silicon Saxony, Europe’s largest microelectronics association, listed the recent expansions and new settlements in the Free State of Saxony. Not only the two new module and fab buildings of Infineon and esmc in the north of Dresden, which were funded by the EU Chips Act, but also the fab expansion at GlobalFoundries, the new fab building of Jenoptik and the investments of numerous suppliers such as Adenso, Sempa Systems, Murata and others show the dynamism that the semiconductor industry is still developing in these difficult economic times. Microelectronics is currently one of very few sectors that continues to show growth. Where others are laying off or at least cutting back, this sector is investing heavily, hiring and expanding. And this despite a weakening German automotive industry, the major driving force behind Dresden’s semiconductor companies.
Michael Woittennek, Managing Director of X-FAB, during his presentation.
Why this works and for which areas the local semiconductor fabs produce, generated lively interest and questions afterwards. With Dr. Dirk Drescher (Managing Director Bosch Dresden), Dr. Christian Koitzsch (President esmc), Dr. Manfred Horstmann (Managing Director GlobalFoundries Dresden), Ralf Blumtritt (Director Smart Power FAB Infineon Dresden) and Michael Woittennek (Managing Director X-FAB Dresden), experienced experts were on hand to answer questions. Exclusive insights into the Fabs and their hallowed halls, the clean rooms, were both fascinating and inspiring. The former black boxes in the north of Dresden were made transparent and explained to all guests of the evening. From the huge cleanrooms to the tiny components produced in them and their target markets, everything that otherwise takes place shrouded in secrecy was illustrated.
Dr. Christian Koitzsch, Managing Director of esmc, presents his fab under construction.
In the final panel round, the fab decision-makers were finally challenged with exciting questions – from the weakness of the automotive industry and its effects to the all-important IC design and technologies used in the fabs to the topics of training and skilled workers. All those present took a particularly close look at the area of skilled workers. This is precisely where more needs to be done in and for Saxony, as all representatives of the fabs emphasized. Dresden urgently needs qualified and motivated skilled workers in order to meet the needs of the coming years and decades. “If you take anything away from this evening, then please do,” said Dr. Christian Koitzsch to the audience. It is up to all of us to get current and future generations excited about STEM education and the semiconductor industry again. esmc alone will be filling more than 1,900 new positions in the coming years. The other four Dresden fabs are also always on the lookout – whether for skilled workers, career changers, apprentices or dual students.
from left to right Dr. Dirk Drescher (Managing Director Bosch), Ralf Blumtritt (Director Smart Power FAB Infineon), Dr. Manfred Horstmann (Managing Director GlobalFoundries), Michael Woittennek (Managing Director X-FAB) and Dr. Christian Koitzsch (Managing Director esmc) jointly answer questions from the audience.
An event organized by former employees of the Dresden semiconductor industry thus became a call for the young and future generations to plan their career path in Dresden and this future-proof industry. Silicon Saxony can only support this wish. It is worth starting or continuing your career here, as every single minute of this varied evening showed.
Your interest is piqued? Then apply to one of the five fabs or get in touch with Silicon Saxony. Together, we are driving Saxony’s high-tech cluster forward.
An overview of the Fab Facts of the evening:
Structure sizes: In the coming years, semiconductors with structure sizes between 600 nm (X-FAB) and 12 nm (esmc) will be produced in the Dresden fabs.
Clean rooms: The fabs’ sacred halls, the clean rooms, range in size from 1,700 m² (X-FAB) to 45,000 m² (esmc).
Wafers: Between 10,000 (X-FAB) and 950,000 wafers (1.1 million after completion of the expansion; GlobalFoundries) are produced in the fabs.
Oldest and newest fab: The oldest fab was commissioned 40 years ago and is operated by X-FAB. The newest fab will be the new esmc building. Production at the esmc fab is scheduled to start in 2027.
Target markets: All fabs in the Dresden region work in varying degrees for the automotive industry. The semiconductors produced for this sector account for the majority of products manufactured in Dresden. From chips for radar sensors and cameras to chips for driving functions and assistance systems to chips for displays and LEDs, a wide range of solutions are manufactured in Dresden. Although the automotive sector is the region’s main customer, semiconductors are also produced here for the medical technology, energy systems, industrial applications, artificial intelligence, consumer electronics, household appliances, and power tools sectors.
Although the German automotive sector is currently experiencing a downturn, according to statements by those responsible for the fabs, this is not affecting fab utilization. Ten years ago, only a few hundred microchips were installed in vehicles, but today there are between 1,500 and 8,000 chips per vehicle. The lower production figures of car manufacturers are therefore offset by the increasing demand for individual vehicle types.
Employees: Between 575 (X-FAB) and 3,500 (Infineon) employees currently work in the fabs.
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Further links
👉 https://www.esmc.eu/de/index.html
👉 https://www.infineon.com/de/regional/dresden
👉 https://gf.com/en/careers/where-we-work/welcome-to-gf-dresden/
👉 https://www.xfabulous.com/de/unsere-standorte/dresden/
👉 https://www.bosch.de/unternehmen/bosch-in-deutschland/dresden/
Photos: Silicon Saxony
