The new Bosch factory in Dresden will be fully connected and controlled by artificial intelligence. The Bosch CEO claims that with their first AIoT factory, they are setting new standards in chip production.
Bosch has inaugurated one of the most modern wafer factories in the world in the city of Dresden in Germany. Automated machines with integrated processes and combined with artificial intelligence methods make this factory a pioneer in the industry.
The most modern wafer factory in Europe opens
For Bosch, semiconductors are a key technology and it is strategically important to develop and manufacture them ourselves. In Dresden, with the help of artificial intelligence, we will take semiconductor manufacturing to the next level. This is our first AIoT factory. Right from the start, it's fully connected, data-driven, and self-optimizing.
Volkmar Denner, Chairman of the Board of Management of Robert Bosch GmbH.
Bosch has invested approximately € 72.000 billion in this location, and it is the largest investment in the company's history. From now on, the semiconductors manufactured at the new plant will be installed in Bosch power tools. For automotive customers, chip production will begin in September, three months ahead of schedule. This new factory will be an important part of the European semiconductor production network and reinforces Germany's position as a technological and commercial location. In its 2 m250 of surface, 700 people are already working and the workforce is expected to grow to around XNUMX employees, once the construction work has been completed.
Being a connected factory with state-of-the-art technology, all factory data, from machinery, sensors and products, is collected in a central database. The result is that every second production data equivalent to 500 pages of text is generated. This data is evaluated using artificial intelligence methods and automatic optimization algorithms learn to make predictions to analyze manufacturing and maintenance processes in real time. By doing this they hope to correct factory errors before they can affect product reliability.
One practical benefit is that semiconductors will be able to move rapidly into large-scale production to save automotive customers the need for testing prior to launch of production. Maintenance jobs can also be optimized by being able to accurately predict if and when a piece of manufacturing machinery or a robot needs maintenance or adjustment.
A state-of-the-art factory with AI
Another feature of the Bosch wafer factory is that it is digitally reproduced. During its construction, all parts of the factory and all relevant construction data relating to the plant as a whole were digitally recorded and visualised in a three-dimensional model. Known as a “digital twin”, it comprises around half a million 3D objects, including buildings and infrastructure, supply and disposal systems, cable ducts and ventilation systems, machinery and production lines. This allows both process optimisation plans and renovation work to be simulated without having to intervene in ongoing operations. Even maintenance work on machinery can be carried out remotely thanks to digital glasses and augmented reality.
With its wafer factory in Dresden, Bosch is responding to the growing demand for chips, which has been part of a huge chip shortage. After comparing sites around the world, Bosch chose Dresden in the state of Saxony as the location for its wafer factory as it is the largest microelectronics location in Europe and the fifth largest in the world. One in three chips manufactured in Europe is produced there and the region offers the perfect conditions for this. Its ease of access and good transport links include connections to suppliers to the automotive, service and other industries, as well as universities and research institutes offering technological expertise.
