“The Czech Republic now has a great economic and political opportunity in the field of semiconductors. If it wants to mean something in the future, it must increase the proportion of technically educated graduates,” says Josef Švejda, managing director of the Czech branch of onsemi. The company has been working with BUT for more than a quarter of a century to popularize technical education. Onsemi is the largest semiconductor manufacturer in Czechia and one of the founders of the Czech Semiconductor Centre. The interview was conducted by Hana Marko for the university magazine News at BUT.
The American company onsemi is a world leader in chip design and manufacturing. However, few people know that its Czech branch was established thanks to the long technical tradition in the region.
Onsemi’s roots in the Czech Republic date back to Tesla Rožnov, a company founded in the 1950s. In the 1990s, the American company Motorola entered the company, bought 100% of the shares, and incorporated the Rožnov plant into its semiconductor division. Today’s development and production center was built on the foundations of Tesla. The state-owned company became Tesla Sezam and Terosil – both companies merged in 2003 to form ON Semiconductor Czech Republic.
It is important to note that a number of experts have been trained in the region over the decades, without whom this would not have been possible. You can have the money to build a factory, but it is much more important to have enough experienced people. Onsemi plans to invest up to CZK 46 billion in Czechia to expand chip production. At the same time, we are therefore focusing on supporting technical education – not only at universities, but also at secondary and primary schools.
Today, onsemi has two main bases in Czechia – Brno and Rožnov. How do they differ?
In Rožnov, we focus on research, development, and production of semiconductor materials and components, with an emphasis on the use of silicon carbide (SiC), which plays a key role in electric vehicles, energy, and data centers. In addition to the design center for power applications in Rožnov, we have a design and development center in Brno focused on semiconductor solutions for intelligent sensing. Together, we form the so-called IDM model – a complete integrated production cycle from design through development to production and testing.
The world is hungry for chips, and according to some forecasts, demand for semiconductors will double by 2030. What does that mean for you?
That’s right, demand is skyrocketing, and this is a huge opportunity for the Czech Republic. We produce billions of chips annually and hold over 300 international patents. In recent years, interest in our chips has been growing thanks to the advent of artificial intelligence – data centers consume enormous amounts of energy, and silicon carbide-based microchips can significantly reduce this consumption. They therefore play a key role in energy management.
This year, the Czech Semiconductor Center was established in Brno. What role did you play in its creation?
We were directly involved in the founding of the CSC – together with BUT, CTU, JIC, Codasip, and the Czech National Semiconductor Cluster. We actively participated in the preparation of the project. Our goal is not to make a profit, but to transfer know-how to the semiconductor ecosystem. Within the CSC, we are primarily responsible for the pillar focused on wide band gap semiconductors, such as silicon carbide. In addition, we also contribute to the development of methods using artificial intelligence and advanced data analysis.
You talk about the semiconductor ecosystem. What exactly does that mean?
It is a complex environment encompassing research, development, education, design, manufacturing, testing, and supply chains. Europe is aware of its dependence on Asia and the US, and CSC is intended to be one of the tools to reduce this dependence. We want to support the creation of new startups, offer mentoring, share experiences, and connect them with the supply chain. At the same time, we need more qualified experts—it simply cannot be done without people.
Your cooperation with BUT has been going on for more than 25 years. How has it developed over that time?
We started by teaching a few subjects, and today we teach an entire semester block focused on chip design and semiconductor technology. Our experts from the field give lectures and bring students up-to-date know-how. Together, we have built specialized laboratories – for example, for simulating semiconductor circuits – and we support unique clean rooms at CEITEC. We have also created a new field of study focused on automotive electronics. We support students materially and financially – we provide internships, supervise diploma theses, and arrange trips abroad.
What are the benefits of this cooperation for onsemi?
It is essential. The Czech semiconductor industry has nowhere to recruit ready-made experts – we have to train them ourselves. And BUT is our key partner in this regard. It’s not just about chip designers. Semiconductor manufacturing involves chemists, physicists, materials engineers, electrical engineers, and software developers. Onsemi operates as an IDM (integrated device manufacturer), which means that we cover the entire semiconductor process from the design of semiconductor components, their manufacturing technology, and the delivery of innovative semiconductor solutions in a total range of over 42 billion chips per year – and this requires a wide range of experts.
In recent years, the European Union has been strengthening its strategy of independence from chip imports. How do you perceive this effort?
It is absolutely crucial. The EU wants to increase its share of global chip production from the current 10% to 20%. This means not only investing in production, but above all in education and talent development. If you decide to build a factory today, you must already have people ready. And this is where onsemi, BUT, and the entire CSC play an important role. We believe that if we succeed in increasing the attractiveness of technical fields, Czechia will have a chance to be visible on the European semiconductor map.
But it’s not just the semiconductor ecosystem that needs technically educated people…
Exactly. If we want to complete Temelín (nuclear plant; editorial note), develop small modular reactors, or become leaders in autonomous driving, we need technically educated graduates. The future of Czech industry as a whole is at stake. We need to increase the number of students in technical fields and their graduates. The future of economic development in Czechia – and throughout Europe – will depend on having enough technically qualified people.
Source: News at BUT (Hana Marko)
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