June 19, 2024 /SemiMedia/ -- GlobalWafers announced on June 18 that after the European Commission's Directorate-General for Competition approved the expansion project of GlobalWafers' Italian subsidiary MEMC Electronic Materials SpA (MEMC SpA), Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy also provided 103 million euros in research and development subsidies to build a 12-inch semiconductor wafer factory.

Marco Sciamanna, general manager of MEMC SpA, said that the new 12-inch wafer fab will support the development of downstream products in four high-tech fields focused on by the IPCEI Microelectronics and Communication Technology (ME/CT) of the Important Program of Common Interest in Europe, including sensors, logic components, power electronics and communications components.

In terms of the supply of advanced wafers, the European semiconductor supply chain is still highly dependent on imports, and MEMC SpA's new wafer factory is expected to fill this gap in the future.

GlobalWafers pointed out that MEMC SpA has production bases in Novara and Merano, and has been operating in Italy for decades. The wafers produced are used to build various devices used in Europe, covering automotive, industrial Internet of Things, consumer electronics and medical equipment.

IPCEI Microelectronics and Communication Technology (ME/CT)