#AmChamBigBets The onsemi investment expands Czech ability to research and develop #semiconductors. It creates a base of advanced technologies that will spur young people to study engineering and computer science, encourage universities to push the boundaries of scientific research in this field, and inspire entrepreneurs to create start-ups in the industry.
A Big Bet has been made. Today, onsemi announced one of the largest investments in Czechia's history to expand its silicon and silicon carbide development and manufacturing capabilities in Roznov nad Radhostem. When up and running, the new investment will contribute more than CZK 6 billion annually to the country's GDP. What is perhaps more important is that it expands our ability to research and develop semiconductors. It creates an enormous base of advanced technologies that will spur young people to study engineering and computer science, encourage universities to push the boundaries of scientific research in this field, and inspire entrepreneurs to create start-ups in the industry. This is the Country for the Future. This is the Second Economic Transformation. Every businessperson in the country recognizes the enormous effort Josef Svejda, Ales Cab, Michal Lorenc and other executives at onsemi made to bring this investment here. They were the primary champions of the project, and the country, and navigated every difficult corner and every unexpected obstacle to get the investment here. Keep going guys! Jozef Sikela, Ivan Bartoš and others in the government ensured the work of CzechInvest and Office of the Government of the Czech Republic received the political support it needed. Karel Havlíček made it clear that this was a project of national importance. Politics and government worked how it is supposed to work on this project. Ladislav Janíček of Brno University of Technology was also essential. He will be supplying the hundreds of engineers this project needs, and the teams of researchers that will build on this investment. He has been involved since the beginning to drive this decision to a yes. Business leaders like Milan Slapak, Ondrej Krajicek, and Martin Jahn lent their considerable influence to persuading the government that this was a bet we had to take. It does not end here. Josef Svejda joined AmCham CZ's General Assembly this morning as a new board member. Our members will focus on turning this second bet- after GE Aerospace's Catalyst engine project- into a steady pipeline of major investments into the development of advanced and sustainable technologies. Big bet by big bet by big bet is how Czechia will become a leading innovative economy.
