With the “Fab4Micro” project, X-FAB is making a strong statement for Erfurt as a business and technology location. The semiconductor manufacturer is investing around 300 to 400 million euros in expanding its production capacities and is building a new cleanroom for the manufacturing of MEMS, microsystems, and photonics solutions. The investment is supported by funding from the federal government and the Free State of Thuringia amounting to 127.4 million euros.
The new production facility is set to enable modern technologies for applications in the automotive industry, medical technology, data centers, and artificial intelligence from the end of 2028. At the same time, around 100 new highly qualified jobs will be created.
With this decision, X-FAB is not only strengthening its original location in Erfurt, but also consolidating Thuringia's role as a significant European center for microelectronics and semiconductors. According to its own research, Thuringia's semiconductor and microelectronics industry comprises more than 70 companies in the field of semiconductor manufacturing – from design and product prototyping through manufacturing and packaging to the volume production of integrated circuits. In addition, there are close links to sensor technology, optics, and photonics, including the associated special machine construction, as well as to materials science and materials engineering. This is not a matter of course, because the Free State thus covers almost the entire value chain – from raw material processing through semiconductor elements and microelectronic systems to system integration.
The project is considered one of the most important industrial investments of recent years in the Free State and makes a significant contribution to Europe's technological sovereignty.
