Bosch opens $1.2B semiconductor factory in eastern Germany

BERLIN (AP) — German technology company Bosch has opened a $1.2 billion computer chip factory in the eastern city of Dresden to help meet the growing demand for semiconductors. A global shortage of semiconductors has forced major auto companies such as Volkswagen and BMW to slow vehicle production in recent months. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said at the opening ceremony that bottlenecks on the semiconductor market had made the economic recovery after the coronavirus crisis more difficult. Bosch said the factory is the biggest single investment in its 130-year history. It will employ 700 people to produce silicon wafers containing tens of thousands of custom-made chips that will control its airbags, braking and parking control systems.