StM, agreement on industrial water: a step forward for the SiC campus in Catania - Il Sole 24 ORE

STMicroelectronics has made significant progress in its expansion project for a silicon carbide (SiC) campus in Catania, Italy, with the signing of an agreement on industrial water supply between Sidr... Read original →

STMicroelectronics’ SiC campus progress in Catania reveals Europe’s semiconductor infrastructure fragility. The need to build its own water pre-treatment plant—because municipal supply fails ultra-pure standards—adds CapEx and delays ramp-up. SiC epitaxy is far more water-sensitive than silicon processes; any treatment lag risks yield instability, threatening deliveries to key EV clients like Tesla and BYD. Despite EU Chips Act subsidies, regional execution remains patchy: only 2 of 5 pipeline phases are funded, exposing a ‘policy-hot, infrastructure-cold’ gap. Competitors Infineon and Wolfspeed may accelerate U.S. or Taiwan, China capacity to capture automotive SiC share. If Sicily misses full infrastructure delivery within 18 months, ST could be forced to revise its 5,000-wafer/week 2028 target, triggering regional supply chain reallocation.