Wolfspeed Tames the Mohawk Valley
Way back in September 2019 we noted that CREE (WOLF), now known as Wolfspeed, was planning the constructing what it says is the world’s largest SiC (Silicon Carbide) production facility in Marcy, NY. The project, which was expected to cost $1.5b (Empire State Development Fund to contribute $500m) was to be built outside of Utica on the “Marcy Nanocenter”, which is a 450 acre site close to SUNY Polytechnic Institute, considered ‘the largest shovel-ready semiconductor site in the world’ by whoever wrote the copy for the Nanocenter. The development and construction program of the site was expected to take eight years during which CREE/Wolfspeed was to avail itself of space at the SUNY campus in Albany, using equipment that is part of the NY Power Electronics Consortium.
About a year later we noted that CREE had decided to sell its LED products business to Smart Global Holdings (SGH) after having sold its lighting products division to Ideal Industries (pvt) in May of 2019. It seems that Wolfspeed has completed and opened its massive 200mm SiC fab as of the end of last month. We expect that given the initial eight year project timeline additional capacity will be added over time, but the project, which is expected to generate 600 new jobs in the region during the first 8 years of operation, has begun to run wafers and the company has signed an agreement with Lucid Motors (LCID), whose Lucid Air is said to be able to travel an EPA estimated 500+ miles on a single charge. The new Wolfspeed fab will be providing SiC power modules to Lucid under the multi-year agreement.
About a year later we noted that CREE had decided to sell its LED products business to Smart Global Holdings (SGH) after having sold its lighting products division to Ideal Industries (pvt) in May of 2019. It seems that Wolfspeed has completed and opened its massive 200mm SiC fab as of the end of last month. We expect that given the initial eight year project timeline additional capacity will be added over time, but the project, which is expected to generate 600 new jobs in the region during the first 8 years of operation, has begun to run wafers and the company has signed an agreement with Lucid Motors (LCID), whose Lucid Air is said to be able to travel an EPA estimated 500+ miles on a single charge. The new Wolfspeed fab will be providing SiC power modules to Lucid under the multi-year agreement.
Original CREE site before construction - Source: Google Earth
- Wolfspeed SiC Project in 2020 - Source: Observer-Dispatch
The completed Wolfspeed Fab - Source: Wolfspeed.com
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