Infineon Technologies' new Smart Power Fab expands chip manufacturing in Germany with a massive $5.7 billion investment.

Infineon Technologies has opened its Smart Power Fab in Dresden, Germany, months ahead of schedule, bringing the world’s largest manufacturing facility for intelligent power semiconductors and analog/mixed-signal technologies into operation.

The facility represents a €5 billion (about $5.7 billion) investment, the largest in the company’s history. It creates 1,000 direct jobs and doubles Infineon’s manufacturing capacity in Dresden.

The factory will produce chips that improve how electricity is converted and managed. Those devices will support AI data centers. They will also help power electricity grids and software-defined vehicles.

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  • plyth@feddit.orgEnglish
    12·
    2 days ago

    The factory will produce chips that improve how electricity is converted and managed. Those devices will support AI data centers. They will also help power electricity grids and software-defined vehicles

    When will there be intelligent electricity grids in Germany and Europe that handle peaks with batteries from cars and houses?

    • vandsjov@feddit.dkEnglish
      2·
      1 day ago

      It’s coming. With my solar, and more importantly battery, installation, I have signed up to be part of a VPP (virtual power plant). This means that some times the batteries will charge of the grid and sometimes discharge to the grid. This is controlled by “something” (don’t exactly know how it works) central that will make the VPP balance the grid - if there’s too much energy it will charge the batteries and not enough it will discharge. A few companies already got this going and you will be paired more than what you could sell to the grid (apparently). It’s not super often (apparently) that the VPP goes into action.

      I’m in Denmark but would guess other countries are doing similar. It’s called Netbalance (Net Balance) and not sure what other countries call it.

      • python@lemmy.worldEnglish
        2·
        20 hours ago

        You don’t know how accurate you are. Infineons Munich offices have some notoriously flaky train connections. Waiting like an hour for the next train isn’t uncommon, even though it’s seemingly close to Munich’s main train lines 🥹

    • MatSeFi@lemmy.liebeleu.deEnglish
      1·
      1 day ago

      Na don’t worry, this is PR. They may be just installed some of the machines and getting processes running. There is plenty of time to fuck it all up. The benchmark is when do they deliver and how much of it.

    • timestatic@feddit.orgEnglish
      4·
      2 days ago

      Its mostly public projects tbh. Private businesses can be quite quick when they have regulatory backing (I know your comment was just satire)

    • Padit@feddit.orgEnglish
      3·
      2 days ago

      Just out of curiosity: what is your concern with software defined vehicles?

      • HugeNerd@lemmy.caEnglish
        4·
        1 day ago

        What problem is being addressed? What is wrong in my life right now that this solves? Why are we as a species putting a picojoule of energy towards this?

        • 0tan0d@lemmy.worldEnglish
          2·
          1 day ago

          For EVs they were able to improve battery life and extend range via software updates. It was pretty neat as a EV owner.

          • vandsjov@feddit.dkEnglish
            1·
            1 day ago

            Well that’s a software update. Software defined means more changes - like a software defined radio, it will change from being a Bluetooth device to a WiFi device. Can’t see how that will benefit a car. “Small” features, yes. My car suddenly a dump truck, no thanks.

      • Gonzako@lemmy.worldEnglish
        2·
        1 day ago

        Currently, software definition is being used as a tool to take power away from personal ownership

  • jdr@lemmy.mlEnglish
    131·
    2 days ago

    They don’t “help”. They’re not your neighbour lending a hand. They’re fucking transistors.

    • luciferofastora@feddit.orgEnglish
      3·
      2 days ago

      What do you call it then when a tool makes something easier or better? Or some medicine?

      I’d say my favourite herbal tea helps with nausea, but I guess it doesn’t have hands to… Uh, gently stroke my stomach lining and calm it down?

      • jdr@lemmy.mlEnglish
        2·
        2 days ago

        But they don’t just make it easier. They are the thing. Does water “help” your tea? It’s just marketing bullshit trying to make chips sound friendly.

        • luciferofastora@feddit.orgEnglish
          2·
          1 day ago

          Water is not a tool, it’s a resource. It does help extract the useful parts from the herbs into something more easily consumed though.

          But I don’t think a tool or resource helping with some process necessarily makes them sound friendly. The list of things they’re used for is led with Data Centres, after all, which I’m pretty sure is not exactly a useful marketing decision, given the publicity around people hating Data Centres.

          • jdr@lemmy.mlEnglish
            1·
            1 day ago

            Unless you trying to friendlify data centers…

            Anyway if water isn’t a tool then how water hammer?

            • luciferofastora@feddit.orgEnglish
              11·
              1 day ago

              Unless you trying to friendlify data centers…

              “The factory will produce chips that improve how electricity is converted and managed. Those devices will support AI data centers. They will also help power electricity grids and software-defined vehicles.”

              The term “help” appears after the data centres.

              Besides, how would friendlifying the chips extend to the data centres they’re used for? It still doesn’t justify the data centres. If I help with beating up a grandma, that still doesn’t make beating up the grandma a good thing or make my “help” actually friendly.

              Anyway if water isn’t a tool then how water hammer?

              Take your pick:

              1. “Water isn’t a tool” was said in the specific context of making tea and was not intended to be understood as some universal description
              2. “Water hammer” is a physical effect wherein the water is merely the carrier for the inertia that produces the effect
              3. Nice pedantry