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by Debra Morgan and Ryan Bisesi – March 26, 2024.
Semiconductor chipmaker Wolfspeed on Tuesday celebrated the last metal beam for its new factory in Chatham County.
The $5 billion allocation is changing the way global energy systems, such as electric cars, are changing. The plant will employ 1,800 Wolfspeeds over the next six years.
On WRAL alone, host Debra Morgan spoke with the company’s CEO, Gregg Lowe, about the company’s mission, long-term goals, and technology.
Q: When other people walk down Highway 64, they see this great project, a great building. How do you feel when you look at it?
A: I feel the long term, the long term of cleaner energy, of electric cars, of the sun, of the technological transition from silicon to silicon carbide. In California, there’s an entire valley named after the semiconductor industry: Silicon Valley, of course. Here in North Carolina, we’re building the world’s largest silicon carbide platform. And that allows that transition from internal combustion engines to electric cars, a greater use of solar energy.
Most electric cars on the road are built with silicon. They were designed several years ago before silicon carbide was what it is today. Therefore, the battery life is terrible and the charging time is terrible. In the next 3 years, there will be more than 120 new models containing only Wolfspeed silicon carbide. Consumers will therefore be excited about increasing range, faster charging and of course vehicle prices will also decrease.
People are excited to come here because of the mission, the passion, and the technology. We’re in a very interesting position because if you’re in this industry, you realize that you’re in a moment of change, moving from silicon to silicon. Carbide, and you need to be able to look back 30 years from now, look back this time and say, “I was there when the industry made this transition. “And I’ve been a component of that transition. ” The workforce here There are now around 2,300 more people on site, so we’re bringing great economic progress to the area as well.
Q: How many more people have you already hired for the installation itself, not just for construction?
A: Several, a hundred already. They are trained. Much of the education takes place on the Durham campus. But we now have full-time employees there as well. We are establishing our first crystal makers as we speak. We’ll energize them this summer. We’ll be generating curtains on that floor, probably during the December quarter, maybe January.
This is happening at breakneck speed. Eighteen months ago it was a forest. We had to blow up 2 million cubic meters of rock. It was an ambitious project, but it’s amazing how fast it’s progressing.
Q: You have neighbors who will also join you, such as Toyota and Vinfast. So, does this sound like Silicon Valley in California? Would you like to set up an electric vehicle hub here?
A: Absolutely. Toyota is building the battery plant. Vinfast uses our generation in [its] cars. So. . . The neighbors are going to take an inventory of each other, which will be fantastic. We’re very, very proud of that.
Q: Are you concerned about the festival in terms of hiring enough workers?
A: I think at this point we’re very excited about our ability to attract other people. As I mentioned, we are on the cutting edge of technology. We are the brilliant novelty in semiconductors. It’s easy to say, but it’s pretty undeniable that we recruit other people. Much of it is local. But we also have other people who come from Texas, California and other states and bring economic progress here in Chatham County.
Q: You talked about the other people in this community, how much have they supported you?
A: They’ve been great. You know, we work with a lot of local organizations. One of the ones I like is Celebrity Farms. Es a goat farm in Siler City. It’s an active goat farm, but they also offer great dinners. So when we get consumers, we just avoid in the goat barn. And I have to tell you, you know, we’ve had a Japanese consumer organization and I think it’s the first goat farm they’ve ever been to, pretty entertaining.
Q: What are your safety and security considerations when dealing with a facility of this size?
A: Security, when you’re building a project, is paramount and very, very important. Almost each and every time someone comes to the site for a visit, the first thing we follow is a protection protocol and the do’s and don’ts. etc. The site’s protection track record is excellent. Whiting-Turner did a wonderful job on this. One of the attractive things is that all the security administrators on this site are unified and it’s one team. There is no safety equipment for this specific task, on this specific task, etc. They all carry the mark of protection and will help each and every one in any way. It’s fantastic.
Q: What will happen once the structure is complete and starts operating the facility and producing the wafers?
A: A large portion of the facility will be automated. Many things that would normally cause potential security issues will be automated. The types of personnel who will work in these facilities will be technicians, engineers, procedure specialists, etc. These will be very, very high-paying jobs, think about jobs costing upwards of $80,000 a year, and probably well above that figure. Possibly there wouldn’t be a protection issue, it’s more about technology, innovation and keeping the machines running. The facility will operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Basically, it will be an uninterrupted operation. All electric fields, electricity, water, you know, etc. , have giant redundancy. So, if we want to do maintenance on something, we can continue production just by switching to some other flow.
Wolfspeed offers several extension systems, adding STEM systems in schools. They also sponsor a football team and just received a car in the Hispanic Heritage Parade.
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