It is reported that there are two buildings in Renesas' factory in Ibaraki. The fire broke out in the N3 building that produces 12-inch wafers, mainly for automotive semiconductors; the other building is intact. The fire did not cause any casualties. However, Renesas is currently confirming the extent of damage to the clean room of the N3 building; the clean room is designed to prevent impurities from contaminating semiconductors, and the damage caused by the fire to the clean room will be Seriously affect production.
Renesas pointed out in the statement that the fire had been extinguished at around 8 o'clock in the morning (Japan time). Although the factory buildings were not damaged, it is confirmed that the clean room has been damaged by the fire. However, it is not possible to enter the clean room to confirm the fire. Reason; At the same time, Renesas also conducted a thorough investigation of the cause of the fire with the support of the fire department, police and relevant authorities, and worked hard to prevent it from happening again. As for the impact on manufacturing equipment, work-in-progress and the financial impact of the company has not yet been determined and is currently under investigation.
Renesas Electronics is one of the largest automotive chip manufacturers. Renesas is the third largest automotive chip manufacturer in 2019. According to Bloomberg's supply chain analysis, Toyota Motor Corporation is one of its largest customers.
Renesas has production facilities in six production bases in Japan. The N3 building has a 300mm wafer production base, which makes it one of the company's more advanced production lines. The incident may exacerbate the shortage of semiconductors, and the shortage of semiconductors has restricted the automotive production of the entire industry.
Bloomberg reported that the accident has undoubtedly dealt another severe blow to the global supply of automotive chips. Renesas previously stated that the shortage of automotive chips may continue into the second half of 2021. However, a fire at the Ibaraki plant may make the situation worse because semiconductor manufacturing takes three months. Once interrupted by interference, it is quite difficult to restart. Therefore, if the Ibaraki plant is suspended for a long time due to the fire, it may exacerbate the shortage of automotive semiconductors, which can be said to be even worse for automakers.
