ELE Times

– Saxony’s Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer hands over the last outstanding
building permit for the construction project
– Infineon is on schedule with the Smart Power Fab with the start of production
planned for 2026
– Total investment of 5 billion euros in a state-of-the-art semiconductor
manufacturing in Germany
– With the fab, Infineon is increasing supply chain security in Europe and making a
significant contribution to decarbonization and digitization

Infineon Technologies AG is on schedule with the construction of the Smart Power Fab in Dresden and is initiating the final construction phase. During a visit, the Prime Minister of the Free State of Saxony, Michael Kretschmer, officially handed over the last outstanding building permit for the new fab issued by the State Directorate of Saxony. The excavation of the building pit has now been completed. The shell and building construction are currently progressing on the concrete foundation, which is up to two meters thick. Infineon officially broke ground for the new plant in Dresden in May 2023. Manufacturing is scheduled to start in 2026. The production will focus on semiconductors that promote decarbonization and digitalization.

With a total investment of five billion euros, the company is making a significant contribution to the European Commission goal to increase the EU’s share of global semiconductor production to 20 percent by 2030. The semiconductors manufactured in Dresden will secure future value chains in key European industries. The products manufactured in the new production facility will be used in the automotive and renewable energy industries. The interaction of power semiconductors and analog/mixed-signal components enables particularly energy-efficient and intelligent system solutions – hence the name Smart Power Fab.

“The construction of the Smart Power Fab is a big win for Dresden, Saxony, Germany and Europe,” says Michael Kretschmer, Prime Minister of the Free State of Saxony. “Infineon’s fourth production module in Dresden is another important building block in strengthening Europe’s resilience in the field of microelectronics. It is a further step towards achieving the European Commission’s goal of increasing Europe’s share of global chip production to 20 percent. Thanks to a thoughtful cooperation between the company, the Free State of Bavaria, the local authorities, and the federal government, it has been possible to get the investment off the ground and to issue the relevant permits quickly. As a result, the semiconductors that we urgently need for the mobility and energy transition can be produced in the new fab starting in 2026.”

“We are making excellent progress with the construction of our state-of-the-art Smart Power Fab in Dresden. We are right on schedule also thanks to the excellent cooperation with the authorities,” says Dr. Rutger Wijburg, Member of the Management Board and Chief Operations Officer of Infineon. “With our strategic decision to continue investing in Dresden, we are securing the long-term future of the site and strengthening the manufacturing base for semiconductors in Europe.”

The dimensions of the construction site are impressive. On average, construction workers have removed around 8,000 tons of soil every day since the start of work. A total of 450,000 cubic meters of excavated soil has been produced, which corresponds to the volume of 180 Olympic swimming pools. The soil is being temporarily stored in a specially prepared area near the Dresden Airport freeway junction. The 22-metre-deep pit not only compensates for the natural gradient, but also provides a firm foundation for the 150- to 190-centimetre-thick base plate, which is intended to reduce vibrations – from passing streetcars, for example – to a minimum. Even minimal vibrations can affect the sensitive semiconductor production.

In the next construction phase, the basement levels will be built, along with other levels. The clean room – the heart of the Smart Power Fab – is planned for the fourth level. Once completed, it will be at the exact same height as the site’s three existing production rooms. This will optimize an integrated production. The future construction phase of the project includes a total of ten tower cranes, some of them 80 meters high to support up to 1,200 construction workers who will be working on the site every day in multiple shifts.

The investment in Dresden is part of the company’s strategy to reach CO2-neutrality by 2030. The Smart Power Fab sets new efficiency standards for the consumption of important resources such as energy and water. This has a positive impact on the carbon footprint of Infineon. Even today, Infineon’s products, which are used in solar and wind power plants, reduce 34 times the amount of CO2 emitted during their production over their lifetime.

With the investment in the new plant, Infineon is creating an additional 1,000 jobs in the Saxon state capital. The company currently employs approximately 3,250 people in Dresden. The number of trainees has already been significantly increased with the new Fab. Subject to the European Commission’s state aid decision and the national grant procedure, the project is to be funded in accordance with the objectives of the European Chips Act. Infineon is aiming for public funding of around one billion euros.

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STMicroelectronics, a global semiconductor leader serving customers across the spectrum of electronics applications, announced the results related to the voting items of its 2024 Annual General Meeting of Shareholders (the “2024 AGM”), which was held in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

All the resolutions were approved by the Shareholders:

• The adoption of the Company’s statutory annual accounts for the year ended December 31, 2023, prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). The 2023 statutory annual accounts were filed with the Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM) on March 21, 2024, and are posted on the Company’s website (www.st.com) and the AFM’s website (www.afm.nl);
• The distribution of a cash dividend of US$ 0.36 per outstanding share of the Company’s common stock, to be distributed in quarterly instalments of US$ 0.09 in each of the second, third and fourth quarters of 2024 and the first quarter of 2025 to shareholders of record in the month of each quarterly payment as per the table below;
• The amendment to the Company’s Articles of Association;
• The adoption of the Remuneration Policy for the Supervisory Board;
• The adoption of the Remuneration Policy for the Managing Board;
• The reappointment of Mr Jean-Marc Chery as a member and Chairman of the Managing Board for a three-year term to expire at the end of the 2027 AGM;
• The approval of the stock-based portion of the compensation of the President and CEO;
• The appointment of Mr. Lorenzo Grandi as a member of the Managing Board for a three-year term to expire at the end of the 2027 AGM; • The approval of the stock-based portion of the compensation of the Chief Financial Officer;
• The approval of a new 3-year Unvested Stock Award Plan for Management and Key Employees;
• The reappointment of EY as external auditor for the 2024 and 2025 financial years;
• The reappointment of Mr. Nicolas Dufourcq, as member of the Supervisory Board, for a three-year term to expire at the end of the 2027 AGM; 2 • The reappointment of Ms. Janet Davidson, as member of the Supervisory Board, for a one-year term to expire at the end of the 2025 AGM;
• The appointment of Mr. Pascal Daloz, as member of the Supervisory Board, for a three-year term expiring at the 2027 AGM, in replacement of Mr. Yann Delabrière whose mandate will expire at the end of the 2024 AGM;
• The authorization to the Managing Board, until the conclusion of the 2025 AGM, to repurchase shares, subject to the approval of the Supervisory Board;
• The delegation to the Supervisory Board of the authority to issue new common shares, to grant rights to subscribe for such shares, and to limit and/or exclude existing shareholders’ pre-emptive rights on common shares, until the end of the 2025 AGM;
• The discharge of the member of the Managing Board; and
• The discharge of the members of the Supervisory Board.

The complete agenda and all relevant detailed information concerning the 2024 AGM and all related AGM materials are available on the Company’s website (www.st.com) and made available to shareholders in compliance with legal requirements.

The draft minutes of the AGM will be posted on the General Meeting of Shareholders page of the Company’s website (www.st.com) within 30 days following the 2024 AGM. As for rule amendments from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and conforming FINRA rule changes, beginning on May 28, 2024, on the US market the new standard for settlement will become the next business day after a trade or t+1. European settlement rule will remain at t+2. T

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Nuvoton Technology Corporation, a global leader in embedded controller and secure IC solutions, announced today that Google’s ChromeOS plans to use the first commercial chip built on the OpenTitan open source secure silicon design as an evolution of its security chip for Chromebooks. This is a result of years of co-development and a close partnership between the companies.

The new chip is based on OpenTitan, a commercial-grade open source silicon design that provides a trustworthy, transparent, and secure silicon platform. It will be used by Google to provide the best protection to Chromebook users. OpenTitan ensures that the system boots from a known good state using properly verified code and establishes a hardware root of trust (RoT) for a variety of system-critical cryptographic operations.

“Hardware security is something we don’t compromise on. We are excited to partner with the dream team of Nuvoton, a valued, historic, strategic partner, and lowRISC, a leader in secure silicon, to maintain this high bar of quality.” said Prajakta Gudhadhe, Sr Director, ChromeOS Platform Engineering. “Google is proud of taking an active role in helping build OpenTitan into a first of a kind open source project, and now we’re excited to see Nuvoton and lowRISC take the next big step and implement a first-of-its-kind open source chip that will protect users all over the world.”

“Nuvoton has been a reliable supplier of embedded controllers (EC) to Chromebooks and Baseboard Management Controllers (BMC) to Google servers in the past decade,” said Erez Naory, VP of Client and Security Products at Nuvoton. “We have now expanded this collaboration with Google and our other OpenTitan partners to bring a new strengthened security IC to Google products and the open market.”

With the goal of making a completely transparent and trustworthy secure silicon platform, the open source project has been developed in the past five years by the OpenTitan coalition of companies hosted by lowRISC C.I.C., the open silicon ecosystem organization. The dedication and expertise of OpenTitan’s skilled community of contributors brought this industry-leading technology to life, producing the world’s first open source secure chip with commercial-grade design verification (DV), testing, and continuous integration (CI).

“Google’s integration of OpenTitan into Chromebooks is a watershed moment — the era of commercial-grade open source silicon has truly arrived,” said Dr. Gavin Ferris, CEO of lowRISC, OpenTitan’s non-profit host organization. “It’s a fantastic validation of the Silicon Commons approach adopted by our OpenTitan project partners and proves that collaborative engineering, driven by an unerring focus on quality and transparency, can successfully deliver products meeting the most stringent security requirements.”

The OpenTitan secure silicon samples are available to the broader market through an early access program and will be in volume production by 2025.

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Infineon Technologies AG today announces two new generations of high voltage (HV) and medium voltage (MV) CoolGaN devices which now enable customers to use Gallium Nitride (GaN) in voltage classes from 40 V to 700 V in a broader array of applications that help drive digitalization and decarbonization. These two product families are manufactured on high performance 8-inch in-house foundry processes in Kulim (Malaysia) and Villach (Austria). With this, Infineon expands its CoolGaN advantages and capacity to ensure a robust supply chain in the GaN devices market, which is estimated to grow with an average annual growth rate (CAGR) of 46 percent over the next five years according to Yole Group.

“Today’s announcement builds nicely on our acquisition of GaN Systems last year and brings to market a whole new level of efficiency and performance for our customers,” said Adam White, Division President of Power & Sensor Systems at Infineon. “The new generations of our Infineon CoolGaN family in high and medium voltage demonstrate our product advantages and are manufactured entirely on 8 inch, demonstrating the fast scalability of GaN to larger wafer diameters. I am excited to see all of the disruptive applications our customers unleash with these new generations of GaN.”

The new 650 V G5 family addresses applications in consumer, data center, industrial and solar. These products are the next generation of GIT-based high voltage products from Infineon. The second new family manufactured on the 8-inch process is the medium voltage G3 devices which include CoolGaN Transistor voltage classes 60 V, 80 V, 100 V and 120 V; and 40 V bidirectional switch (BDS) devices. The medium voltage G3 products are targeted at motor drive, telecom, data center, solar and consumer applications.

The CoolGaN 650 V G5 will be available in Q4 2024 and the medium voltage CoolGaN G3 will be available in Q3 2024. Samples are available now. More information is available here.

PCIM Europe will take place in Nuremberg, Germany, from 11 to 13 June 2024. Infineon will present its products and solutions for decarbonization and digitalization in hall 7, booths #470 and #169. Company representatives will also be giving several presentations at the accompanying PCIM Conference and Forums, followed by discussions with the speakers. If you are interested in interviewing an expert at the show, please email media.relations@infineon.com. Industry analysts interested in a briefing can email MarketResearch.Relations@infineon.com. Information about Infineon’s PCIM 2024 show highlights is available at www.infineon.com/pcim.

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Recyclekaro, a leading e-waste and lithium-ion battery recycling company, is proud to announce its registration on the government’s Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) portal for e-waste recycling. As a lithium-ion battery recycling industry leader, Recyclekaro joins Lohum Cleantech, Attero, and LICO Materials as one of the four registered lithium-ion battery recyclers, reinforcing its commitment to sustainable e-waste management. Based on its existing recycling capacity, Recyclekaro will help lithium-ion battery and electronics product manufacturers, producers, and importers in India meet their EPR targets. These targets include 4,200 MT for lithium-ion battery recycling and 15,000 MT for e-waste recycling, ensuring comprehensive support for sustainability goals.

India is the third-largest e-waste producer globally, generating 1.71 million metric tons annually, with only approximately 40% of e-waste recycled in the last financial year. To address this challenge, the EPR portal, an initiative by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), provides a transparent and accountable framework for electronic waste management in India. It centralizes the tracking of e-waste from production to disposal, connecting manufacturers with registered recyclers like Recyclekaro and streamlining collection and recycling processes. The system offers financial incentives through EPR credits, making recycling economically viable and supporting companies in meeting sustainability targets. Additionally, the platform ensures regulatory compliance, improves data collection and reporting, and encourages innovation in recycling technologies, fostering a more sustainable approach to e-waste management in India.

The Battery Waste Management (BWM) Rules, 2022, notified by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, apply to all types of batteries. These rules mandate that producers (manufacturers, importers) meet collection and recycling targets to fulfil Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) obligations. Producers, recyclers, and refurbishers must register through the online portal developed by the CPCB, which enhances accountability, traceability, and transparency in meeting EPR obligations.

Rajesh Gupta, Founder & Director of Recyclekaro, commented, “Registering on the government’s EPR portal not only allows us to connect directly with manufacturers, fulfilling their waste management responsibilities, but also significantly enhances our business opportunities. Being among the four registered recyclers for lithium-ion battery end to end recycling is a major milestone and a recognition that showcases our credibility. This registration strengthens our position in the industry and supports our mission to promote sustainable and responsible recycling practices.”

Recyclekaro has established a strong presence in the Indian recycling industry, achieving 90% metal extraction efficiency with purity levels exceeding 99% from scrap batteries. The company plans to double its recycling capacity by the second quarter of FY 2024-25.

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Development board combination with 50W transmitter and receiver simplifies fast charging utilizing ST Super Charge protocol

STMicroelectronics has introduced a 50W, Qi-compatible transmitter and receiver combination to accelerate the development of wireless charging for high-power applications such as medical and industrial equipment, home appliances, and computer peripherals.

Using ST’s new wireless charging solution, innovators can leverage the convenience and speed of wireless charging in applications that demand a higher power and shorter charging interval. These applications include vacuum cleaners, cordless power tools, drones and other mobile robots, medical drug delivery devices, portable ultrasound systems, stage lighting and mobile lighting, printers, and scanners. Free from cables, connectors, and complex docking arrangements, these products can become simpler, more affordable, and more robust.

The STEVAL-WBC2TX50 transmitter board is capable of delivering up to 50W of output power using the ST Super Charge (STSC) protocol. STSC is ST’s proprietary protocol for wireless charging at a faster rate than the standard protocols used with smartphones and similar devices, allowing quicker recharging of larger batteries. The board also supports the Qi 1.3 5W Baseline Power Profile (BPP) and 15W Extended Power Profile (EPP). The main component on board is ST’s STWBC2-HP transmitter system-in-package, which combines an STM32G071 Arm Cortex-M0 microcontroller and an application-specific front end. The front end provides signal conditioning and frequency control, a high-resolution PWM generator to drive the transmitter, and operates with any DC voltage from 4.1V to 24V. It also contains MOSFET gate drivers and a D+/D- interface for USB Power Delivery. In addition, the STWBC2-HP SiP can work with ST’s STSAFE-A110 secure element to provide Qi authentication.

The STEVAL-WLC98RX receiver board is built to handle up to 50W charging power, to safely accommodate the full STSC capability as well as BPP and EPP charging. Features include support for Adaptive Rectifier Configuration (ARC), which extends charging distance by up to 50% to allow lower-cost coils and more flexible configurations. Accurate voltage and current measurements for Foreign Object Detection (FOD), thermal management, and system protection are also provided. This board uses ST’s STWLC98 wireless power receiver IC, which contains a Cortex-M3 core and an integrated high-efficiency synchronous-rectifier power stage with programmable output voltage of up to 20V.

Dedicated software tools, ST’s STSW-WPSTUDIO for the STEVAL-WLC98RX and STSW-WBC2STUDIO for the STEVAL-WBC2TX50 are available to modify the configuration parameters, tailoring the operation of the device to the needs of customized applications. A comprehensive set of design documents is also available to assist development.

The boards come with a Declaration of Conformity to the EU Radio Equipment Directive (RED) and are available from the ST eStore and from distributors. Pricing starts at $113.93 for the STEVAL-WLC98RX receiver and $109.03 for the STEVAL-WBC2TX50 transmitter.

For further information please visit www.st.com/wirelesspower.

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