Stuttgart, Munich The new Bosch boss Stefan Hartung is speeding up the expansion of the semiconductor division. “We will invest three billion euros in our chip production by 2026,” said the Bosch boss, who has been in office since the beginning of the year, on Wednesday in Dresden. This means that Bosch is increasing investment in semiconductors by another 50 percent this year alone. Hartung’s predecessor, Volkmar Denner, only announced the faster expansion of semiconductor capacities last fall.

But the persistent shortage of semiconductors is far from resolved for Bosch. “In the interests of our customers, we are preparing ourselves for an unabatedly growing demand for chips. For us, there is big business in the smallest components,” says Hartung. The investments are being made as part of the IPCEI funding program for microelectronics and communications technology, with which the EU wants to make European chip technology industry more competitive.