German industrial equipment manufacturer enabling Silicon Carbide wafer production for European power electronics and e-mobility supply chains.
Centrotherm International AG is a German industrial equipment manufacturer specializing in thermal processing systems for semiconductor fabrication, with a particular focus on Silicon Carbide (SiC) wafer production technology. In their H2020 work, they contributed industrial manufacturing expertise and process equipment capabilities to Europe's effort to establish a domestic SiC semiconductor supply chain. Their role spans from enabling large-diameter (8-inch) SiC wafer pilot production lines to supporting the broader SiC value chain serving power electronics applications in e-mobility, smart grids, and industrial automation. They bring the industrial-scale manufacturing know-how that bridges laboratory-grade SiC research and commercial production.
Both REACTION and TRANSFORM projects centre on SiC semiconductor manufacturing, with REACTION specifically targeting 8-inch SiC wafer pilot line development where thermal processing equipment is central.
TRANSFORM (2021-2024) positions Centrotherm within the full trusted European SiC value chain, linking wafer production to inverter and power electronics end-markets.
REACTION (2018-2023) describes Europe's first 8-inch SiC pilot line, a project in which Centrotherm's industrial manufacturing systems would be a direct enabler.
TRANSFORM keywords explicitly reference inverter, eMobility, and smart grid applications, indicating Centrotherm's process technology feeds directly into green-economy power electronics.
TRANSFORM's full title — 'Trusted European SiC Value Chain for a greener Economy' — signals engagement with EU strategic sovereignty goals for semiconductor manufacturing.
Their H2020 journey started in 2018 with a sharp technical focus: enabling the physical manufacturing infrastructure for larger SiC wafers — specifically the jump to 8-inch diameter, which is critical for cost-competitive mass production. By 2021, the focus had broadened upstream and downstream: TRANSFORM shows them engaged with the full SiC value chain, connecting their process equipment expertise to end-use markets like e-mobility, smart grids, and industrial automation. The shift is from "how do we make better SiC wafers" to "how does SiC production serve Europe's green energy transition" — a maturation from component-level expertise toward system-level market relevance.
Centrotherm is moving from pure manufacturing process expertise toward a strategic role in the European SiC supply chain for clean energy applications, making them an increasingly relevant partner for consortia targeting power electronics, e-mobility, and energy transition projects.
Centrotherm participates exclusively as a consortium partner — they have not led any H2020 project — which is typical of industrial equipment companies that contribute specific manufacturing process capabilities rather than driving research agendas. Their two projects were large Innovation Actions (IA), meaning they operated in multi-partner consortia focused on industrial demonstration and pilot line development rather than basic research. With 64 unique partners across 15 countries from just two projects, they engage in broad, well-networked consortia rather than tight bilateral arrangements.
Despite only two projects, Centrotherm has built a notably wide network of 64 unique partners spanning 15 countries — a strong signal that both REACTION and TRANSFORM were large pan-European consortia. Their geographic reach is firmly European, consistent with EU semiconductor sovereignty initiatives that deliberately span multiple member states.
Centrotherm occupies a rare industrial niche: they are not a chip designer, a materials research group, or a wafer fab — they make the thermal processing equipment that enables SiC wafer production at scale. This positions them as an enabling layer in the semiconductor supply chain that very few European companies can fill. For any consortium trying to move SiC technology from lab to pilot line to commercial production, Centrotherm's industrial process equipment expertise is a difficult-to-replace contribution.
