The news: Group14 Technologies, a startup based in Woodinville, Wash., announced Monday it has acquired Germany’s Schmid Silicon Technology Holding for an undisclosed sum. The company produces silane gas, which is an ingredient for Group14’s patented silicon-carbon battery materials.
“It’s a really great foothold for us in Europe,” said Grant Ray, Group14’s vice president of global market strategy, in an interview with GeekWire.
As part of the acquisition, the companies will bring back Schmid Silicon’s factory in an industrial area in southeast Germany. The move will help protect against supply chain disruptions and should provide enough silane to get European operations “kicked off,” Ray said, though additional sources will ultimately be needed.
Group14 is looking in Germany to establish its first European offices. Ray did not share how quickly it could set up shop and start producing battery material in Europe, but noted that the company’s modular manufacturing strategy allows for a quick deployment.
German links: Group14 raised $614 million in funding last year in a round led by Germany-based Porsche, which plans to use Group14’s technology in some of its electric vehicles.
The Schmid Silicon facility is about six hours from the Porsche headquarters and R&D center. The factory could start producing silane within 12-to-18 months, Ray said.
The tech: Group14 is producing an advanced silicon battery anode material that can replace graphite anodes, making conventional lithium ion batteries more powerful and faster to recharge.
Other operations: Group14 was founded in 2015 and launched its first commercial-scale factory in Woodinville in 2021.
The startup has begun pouring concrete for its manufacturing facility in Moses Lake in Eastern Washington, which should go online next year. The site is expected to produce 4,000 tons of silicon-carbon battery material annually, which is enough for at least 200,000 electric vehicles.
Group14 is commissioning a facility that it built in South Korea in partnership with electronics company SK materials. It’s expected to start running soon, with a 2,000-ton annual capacity.
