Global semiconductor manufacturer Bosch planning to buy Roseville company, invest $1.5 billion locally

Updated April 26, 2023
  • Bosch plans to acquire U.S. chipmaker TSI Semiconductors based in Roseville, CA
  • Bosch chairman Dr. Stefan Hartung: “With this planned investment in the U.S., we are also increasing our semiconductor manufacturing, globally.”
  • Roseville, California joins Bosch chip manufacturing locations in Reutlingen and Dresden, Germany.
  • Electric cars as the driving force: silicon carbide chips enable greater range and more efficient recharging.

Global semiconductor manufacturer Bosch plans to acquire assets of the U.S. chipmaker TSI Semiconductors (TSI), based in Roseville and expand its semiconductor business with silicon carbide chips. Over the next years, Bosch intends to invest more than $1.5 billion in the Roseville site and convert the TSI Semiconductors manufacturing facilities to state-of-the-art processes.

“Roseville is a highly sought-after location for innovative companies expanding their operations. We're a community of choice for investment, with an environment that fuels business growth, a skilled and educated workforce, vibrant quality of life, and some of the nation’s most reliable and low-cost municipal utilities. Roseville checks all the boxes," says City of Roseville Mayor Bruce Houdesheldt.

Bosch

Starting in 2026, the first chips will be produced on 200-millimeter wafers based on the innovative material silicon carbide (SiC). The global boom and ramp-up of electromobility are resulting in huge demand for such special semiconductors.

With a workforce of 250, TSI is a foundry for application-specific integrated circuits, or ASICs. Currently, it mainly develops and produces large volumes of chips on 200-millimeter silicon wafers for applications in the mobility, telecommunications, energy, and life sciences industries.

“Bosch’s planned investment presents momentous economic opportunity for Roseville and the region. We're pleased to be the site for potential growth in global semiconductor manufacturing. We look forward to welcoming Bosch to our city and being a strong community partner,” says City of Roseville Economic Development Director Melissa Anguiano.

Watch Bosch CEO Stefan Hartung discuss the acquisition of TSI and future investment.

The full scope of the planned investment will be heavily dependent on federal funding opportunities available via the CHIPS and Science Act as well as economic development opportunities within the State of California. Bosch and TSI Semiconductors have reached an agreement to not to disclose any financial details of the transaction, which is subject to regulatory approval.

“With the acquisition of TSI Semiconductors, we are establishing manufacturing capacity for SiC chips in an important sales market while also increasing our semiconductor manufacturing, globally. The existing clean-room facilities and expert personnel in Roseville will allow us to manufacture SiC chips for electromobility on an even larger scale,” says Dr. Stefan Hartung, the chairman of the Bosch board of management.

“The location in Roseville has existed since 1984. Over nearly 40 years, the U.S. company has built up vast expertise in semiconductor production. We will now be integrating this expertise into the Bosch semiconductor manufacturing network,” says Dr. Markus Heyn, member of the Bosch board of management and chairman of the Mobility Solutions business sector.

Bosch“We are pleased to join a globally operating technology company with extensive semiconductor expertise. We are confident that our Roseville location will be a significant addition to Bosch’s SiC chipmaking operations,” says Oded Tal, CEO at TSI Semiconductors.

Starting in 2026, following a retooling phase, first SiC chips will be produced on 200-millimeter wafers in the Roseville facility offering roughly 10,000 square meters of clean-room space. “SiC chips are a key component for electrified mobility. By extending our semiconductor operations internationally, we are strengthening our local presence in an important electric vehicle market,” Heyn says.

Demand for chips for the automotive industry remains high. By 2025, Bosch expects to have an average of 25 of its chips integrated in every new vehicle. The market for SiC chips is also continuing to grow fast – by 30 percent a year on average. The main drivers of this growth are the global boom and ramp-up of electromobility.

In electric vehicles, SiC chips enable greater range and more efficient recharging, as they lose up to 50 percent less energy. Installed in these vehicles’ power electronics, they ensure that a vehicle can drive a significantly longer distance on one battery charge – on average, the possible range is 6 percent greater than with silicon-based chips.