Onsemi reportedly plans up to 300 job cuts at Czech facility
US semiconductor manufacturer Onsemi is reportedly planning to cut between 200 and 300 jobs at its plant in Rožnov pod Radhoštěm in the Czech Republic, according to Czech media outlet e15. The cuts follow an earlier round of approximately 170 layoffs at the same facility in 2025.
The restructuring reportedly affects specialists working on silicon carbide semiconductors. According to e15, Onsemi has concluded that in-house SiC wafer production is no longer economically viable and is shifting toward external sourcing of lower-cost wafers while focusing on higher value-added downstream processes.
While SiC wafer production still costs Western manufacturers around USD 1,200 per wafer, Chinese producers have driven costs down to roughly USD 400, according to Taiwan's Central News Agency. Chinese players SICC and TankeBlue – backed by government subsidies and low electricity costs – have upgraded both technology and capacity and are increasingly undercutting Western rivals on price. According to TrendForce data, Wolfspeed held the largest share of N-type SiC substrates in 2025 at 27.6%, with SICC and TankeBlue close behind at 21.5% and 20.1% respectively.
Onsemi's facility in Rožnov pod Radhoštěm is one of the company's key SiC production hubs, and in November last year the European Commission approved a Czech government support package of approximately EUR 450 million for a planned expansion of the site. The total investment for the new expanded facility is estimated at EUR 1.64 billion. Commercial operations at the new facility are expected to begin by 2027.
Onsemi has not publicly commented on the reported layoffs.