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ASM International N.V. (ASM) announced an agreement under which ASM will acquire all outstanding shares of SiC in Italy and LPE S.p.A, a manufacturer of silicon epitaxial reactors.

Founded in 1972, LPE specializes in designing, manufacturing and selling advanced epitaxial tools for power applications. It is a recognized leader in the field of SiC epitaxy and has issued a number of patents to date.

LPE has a large global installation base of SiC epitaxial tools dedicated to manufacturing equipment to meet the fast-growing electric vehicle market.
LPE's revenue in 2023 is expected to exceed 100 million euros, mainly driven by its SiC epitaxial equipment business.

Driven by the rapid expansion of the electric vehicle market, silicon carbide devices are experiencing strong growth.

The global automotive industry is investing heavily in chips made of silicon carbide.

Because of its broadband gap, the SiC is very efficient at high voltage, providing higher power efficiency and higher power density, resulting in reduced weight and size of components, as well as faster charging speed.

As a result, the demand for SiC epitaxial equipment (based on ASM internal estimates) is expected to grow at a CAGR of more than 25 per cent from 2021 to 2025.