Bosch is putting serious money on the table in Roseville, with plans to invest up to $1.9 billion to convert its local wafer fab into a silicon carbide (SiC) chip plant. City officials say the move could lock Greater Sacramento into a pivotal spot in the U.S. electric vehicle supply chain, restart chip production at a formerly quiet site and bring hundreds of manufacturing jobs back into the region. Production of 200-millimeter SiC wafers is expected to kick off in 2026 as the plant is modernized.
The company plans to retool the facility and begin producing SiC chips on 200-millimeter wafers in 2026, according to Bosch. Bosch says it has kept nearly all of the roughly 250 associates who were on site during the conversion and is backing local workforce training, including grants to Sierra College, to build up semiconductor skills. The company frames the Roseville upgrade as part of a broader push to scale SiC output for automotive and industrial customers that are hungry for more efficient power electronics.
Federal incentives and scale
A preliminary memorandum of terms under the CHIPS and Science Act would provide up to $225 million in proposed direct federal funding to support the conversion, and federal documents note the Roseville project could end up supplying more than 40 percent of U.S. SiC device manufacturing capacity when fully built out, according to the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The same federal materials estimate the project could generate roughly 1,000 construction jobs and about 700 positions in manufacturing, engineering and R&D once the site reaches scale.
Local leaders wasted no time claiming a win. On X, the City of Roseville said the investment is “strengthening Roseville’s role in a critical industry,” highlighting both the expected jobs and the potential to tighten up the regional EV supply chain. City economic officials have also cited state incentives and previously approved tax credits as key pieces of the package that helped keep the project rooted in Roseville.
Why SiC chips matter for EVs
Silicon carbide semiconductors are prized by automakers because they cut energy loss in power conversion, which improves EV range and charging efficiency, a benefit federal and industry officials have stressed as a core reason to expand U.S. SiC capacity. Industry coverage notes that domestic SiC production has been thin, and a major Roseville output would help reduce dependence on overseas suppliers while supporting faster EV adoption, according to Manufacturing Dive.
From here, the process turns technical and bureaucratic. The CHIPS Program Office still needs to finalize awards and loan terms, and Bosch has said it will move ahead with equipment upgrades and site work as those approvals move forward. The company has reiterated that it kept the Roseville workforce together during the transition and is paying for local training to prepare for SiC production, per Bosch. If the federal support and planned private investment stay on track, the plant’s 2026 start date would make Roseville one of the earliest U.S. hubs for large-scale SiC production.
Economic development experts say the project could spark a broader cluster of suppliers and training programs across Placer and Sacramento counties, reshaping a part of the region better known for warehouses and logistics than advanced chipmaking. Local reporting has underscored the size of the investment and its potential ripple effects on industry and housing markets, while community groups are already pressing officials to build out workforce pipelines so that local residents see the upside, per the Sacramento Bee.
