On October 27, the official website of the Zhengzhou Airport Economy Comprehensive Experimental Zone published an announcement proposing to approve the environmental impact assessment documents for the "NEV Automotive-Grade Silicon Carbide Substrate Production Line Project" by Zhengzhou BYD Auto Co., Ltd. (via the notification and commitment system).
According to the public notice, the project is located in the Zhengzhou BYD New Materials Industrial Park. With a total investment of CNY 215 million, the project will utilize the first floor of the existing Building No. 6 in the park to establish silicon carbide substrate processing lines, with a planned annual output of 16,000 wafers.
The information indicates that this project does not involve silicon carbide crystal growth but rather focuses on the substrate processing stage, including cutting, grinding, and polishing.
In fact, the Zhengzhou Airport Economy Comprehensive Experimental Zone also disclosed that in June 2023, BYD received approval for the Phase I construction of a new materials production line in the same park, with a total investment reaching CNY 3.3 billion and covering a site area of nearly 697,500 m². The scope of this project includes crystal forming and pressure-resistant substrate stages.
Public records show that BYD's research into silicon carbide substrates can be traced back to around 2018. It is reported that preliminary research on SiC single-crystal growth and substrate preparation had already begun within its Central Research Institute system at that time.
In 2020, local Shenzhen media revealed that the Third-Generation Semiconductor Research Center of BYD's Central Research Institute had mastered "full-process technology and equipment manufacturing for silicon carbide wafer substrates," with the performance of its 4-inch SiC wafers reaching world-leading levels.
From 2021 to 2023, BYD's Central Research Institute continued to advance the industrialization of silicon carbide single-crystal growth technology.
In 2021, BYD invested CNY 200 million in Shenzhen Pingshan to build a silicon carbide epitaxial wafer production line with an annual capacity of 12,000 wafers. This project is located in Building D53# on the west side of the plot adjacent to the BYD Auto Production Base (Phase II) in Pingshan District, Shenzhen. The building covers an area of 9,000 m², with a project construction area of approximately 500 m².
In June 2023, BYD planned to invest approximately CNY 214 million to construct a mass-production pilot line for silicon carbide epitaxy on the1st and 4th floors of the existing Building D53# and in the northwest corner of Building D50#. After expansion, this would add an annual capacity of 6,000 SiC epitaxial wafers, bringing the total annual capacity to 18,000 wafers. The project was scheduled for completion by September of that year.
BYD stated that the primary purpose of this project is to support the internal development of high-quality silicon carbide single-crystal growth technology by its Central Research Institute, providing high-quality epitaxial wafers for silicon carbide power devices used in BYD's electric vehicles and cloud rail industries, thereby helping the company achieve a closed loop and vertical integration across the entire silicon carbide industry chain.
BYD has currently established a full-industry layout in silicon carbide, covering substrates, epitaxy, chip manufacturing, module manufacturing, and terminal applications. Regarding chips, BYD is currently conducting SiC wafer manufacturing at its Ningbo base.
Construction History: From 2021 to 2022, Ningbo BYD Semiconductor upgraded and renovated existing buildings in the Ningbo Bonded Area to plan and construct an SiC power semiconductor wafer manufacturing line with a construction area of 34,300 m². In November 2025, the project successfully passed the final environmental protection acceptance inspection.
Capacity Status: After the upgrade, the production scale of this base was adjusted to an annual output of 78,000 IGBTs, 78,000 FRDs, and 240,000 SiC new-type power semiconductor chips (and other products). In March 2025, 1500V high-power SiC chips were integrated into the Han L and Tang L models upon their market launch; concurrently, R&D on 1200V trench-gate SiC MOSFETs began. Following further upgrades to the supporting production lines, the monthly wafer output is expected to increase by more than 10,000 units.
Additionally, BYD Semiconductor has achieved self-developed and self-manufactured silicon carbide power modules. Since the first batch installation of self-developed SiC main drive modules in the "Han" model in 2020, its silicon carbide module products have been widely applied in the main drive inverters and megawatt flash charging systems of high-voltage platform models under the Dynasty, Ocean, Denza, and Yangwang brands. Meanwhile, BYD's SiC device capabilities are extending to energy storage PCS (Power Conversion Systems) and integrated energy storage and charging systems, supporting the autonomous control and high-voltage iteration of BYD Group's NEV and energy storage businesses.