이 기사는 2022년 05월 03일 08:05 thebell 에 표출된 기사입니다.

South Korea’s SK Group has acquired a controlling stake in Yes Powertechnix to expand its presence in the silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductor market.

SK Inc, the holding company of SK Group, has recently increased its stake in Yes Powertechnix to 95.8% after acquiring a 33.6% stake in the company last year, according to industry sources.

SK Group entered the SiC business after SK siltron’s acquisition of DuPont's SiC wafer unit in 2020. Yes Powertechnix designs and produces power semiconductors using the SiC wafers.

SK siltron is operating the SiC wafer business through its second-tier subsidiary SK siltron CSS. The company is stepping up efforts to increase the production capacity to meet rapidly growing demands.

Wafers made of SiC are used in the semiconductor power components of electric vehicles (EV). SiC wafers are more efficient at handling high powers and conducting heat than normal silicon. When used in EV system components, they allow more efficient transfer of electricity from the battery to the motor, increasing the driving range of an EV by 5% to 10%.

SK siltron CSS counts Germany’s Infenion Technologies, Switzerland‘s STMicroelectrics and U.S.-based ON Semiconductor among its clients. Yes Powertechnix accounts for about 10% of SK siltron CSS’ revenue.

Given this business structure, SK siltron and SK siltron CSS are unlikely to create strong synergies. SK siltron CSS’ major clients may be worried about any potential conflict of interest derived from SK siltron CSS and its rival Yes Powertechnix being placed under the same wing. This was the reason that Yes Powertechnix is acquired by SK instead of SK siltron.

The latest deal is meaningful in that SK Group has completed its value chain ranging from SiC wafers to power semiconductor design and manufacturing.

SK plans to grow Yes Powertechnix to a global SiC power semiconductor leader through continuous R&D investment. (Reporting by Hye-ran Kim)