Rolls supplying engines for Chinese semiconductor plants

Rolls-Royce will provide 70 of its mtu Series 4000 engines for use in generator sets at multiple semiconductor manufacturing locations in China.

The engines, produced in Yulin by MTU Yuchai Power, the Chinese Joint Venture with Yuchai Diesel, will be packaged and distributed by emergency power systems provider Hefei Calsion Electric System. The gensets will help ensure that semiconductor chip production is not affected by power failures.

Rolls-Royce said the rapid expansion of information technology applications such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing, big data and Internet of Things (IoT), has resulted in growing market demand for semiconductor products. In recent years, Chinese semiconductor enterprises have experienced a significant growth period due to the acceleration of domestic insourcing and the upgrade of industrial technologies.

The guarantee of continuous power supply is critical for semiconductor factories, as the manufacturing process is very sensitive, the company said. The products on the production line are at risk of being scrapped after even a few minutes of power disruption. The mtu engine-powered generator sets installed by Calsion will provide uninterrupted switching between diesel engines and grid power to deliver continuous loading capacity under high load conditions, helping to ensure the stable operation of production lines and special process systems such as safety, clean room, and cooling and pure water systems.

“China has always been an important strategic market for Rolls-Royce and this project further demonstrates that mtu engines are recognized by the Chinese market as a reliable solution to support its semiconductor manufacturers,” said Lang Yun, Vice President, Stationary Power Solutions Greater China for the Power Systems division of Rolls-Royce.

Rolls-Royce is supplying 70 Series 4000 mtu engines for emergency power use in the semiconductor industry in China. The engines will be produced in Yulin by employees of mtu Yuchai Power, the Chinese joint venture with Yuchai Diesel, and assembled as emergency gensets by the system provider Hefei Calsion Electric System Corp. (Image: Rolls-Royce)

As a leader of semiconductor power system solutions, Hefei Calsion Electric System Co., Ltd. specializes in the R&D, manufacturing, marketing and services of generator sets, and has R&D centers, modern production bases and first-class test systems. Its original semiconductor power system solution has won a market share of more than 70% of the domestic semiconductor industry emergency power system solution-based projects in China. It is a strategic partner and designated OEM manufacturer of Rolls-Royce in China, as the two parties have maintained close cooperation for 18 years.

“We always take into consideration the unique needs of our customers in terms of energy and stability requirements, combined with environmental considerations,” said Mr. Wu Baoliang, Chairman, Calsion. “With Rolls-Royce being a close partner of ours, we knew that mtu engines would be the best fit to power our gensets for this project, providing the needed quality and reliability that semiconductor manufacturers require while meeting regional fuel consumption standards.”