PORR is designing and building a new semiconductor factory for X-FAB in Erfurt, Germany, with the facility set to include approximately 3,500 sqm of cleanroom space.
The international construction company delivers building and infrastructure projects, including specialised facilities for the semiconductor and biotechnology sectors.
PORR has built several hundred thousand square metres of cleanrooms and provides services from planning through to equipment hook-up and commissioning.
Known as Fab4Micro, the project will expand X-FAB’s manufacturing capabilities for microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), microsystems and photonic systems.
PORR is responsible for the design and construction of the facility.
Work is scheduled to run from July 2026 to July 2028, with initial production planned for the end of 2028.
The new factory will use wafer-level manufacturing processes to produce MEMS and heterogeneously integrated systems for applications including the automotive, medical technology and industrial sectors.
Meeting specific cleanroom requirements
The facility will have stringent requirements associated with semiconductor manufacturing, including measures to control vibration.
PORR said the building will be designed to prevent vibrations, including those generated by road traffic, from reaching sensitive production equipment.
The factory will also be designed for 24/7 operation, requiring fail-safe systems to support continuous production.
Energy efficiency is another consideration, with PORR highlighting measures including heat recovery and photovoltaic systems in the development of modern cleanroom facilities.
"The growth in the market for semiconductor chips is unabated, driven not only by artificial intelligence, but also by future technologies such as autonomous driving. This in turn is generating growth for us, as demand for cleanrooms keeps rising," said Karl-Heinz Strauss, CEO of PORR.
Securing €127.4m in public funding
X-FAB announced in June that Fab4Micro had received €127.4m in funding from the German federal government and the Free State of Thuringia.
The funding comprises approximately €80.3m from the German federal government and €47.1m from the Free State of Thuringia.
The European Commission approved the state aid in December 2025 under the European Chips Act.
X-FAB said the investment will enable production capacity and capabilities at the Erfurt site to be expanded in stages according to customer demand.
The company specialises in analogue and mixed-signal semiconductor manufacturing, as well as MEMS, microsystems, photonics, silicon carbide and gallium nitride technologies.
The new facility is expected to begin initial production by the end of 2028.
