This state-of-the-art manufacturing facility, dedicated to large-scale technologies for photovoltaic, storage, hybrid, hydrogen, and data center applications , represents a significant milestone in SMA's long-term commitment to the global energy transition and strengthening industrial capabilities in Europe and around the world. The inauguration ceremony brought together representatives from industry, politics, and security to discuss the future of secure energy systems and the role of industrial innovation in developing a reliable energy infrastructure.
As electrification accelerates across sectors such as industry, mobility, digital infrastructure, and society at large, the demand for reliable energy infrastructure continues to grow. The challenge today is no longer simply about generating more renewable energy. Increasingly, it's about building and operating the infrastructure needed to integrate renewables, stabilize electricity grids, and ensure a secure and affordable energy supply. Against this backdrop, SMA developed its new Gigawatt Factory to meet the needs of an increasingly electrified world. Based on current estimates, the plant has the capacity to achieve an annual production capacity exceeding 60 GW at full utilization.
“A reliable energy infrastructure has become an indispensable requirement for economic growth, industrial competitiveness and digital transformation,” says Dr. Kaveh Rouhi, CFO of SMA Solar Technology AG .
“With the Gigawatt Factory, we are investing in the industrial capabilities needed to support the energy systems of the future. This strengthens our ability to supply critical energy infrastructure technologies to customers worldwide and reaffirms our commitment to technology, value creation, and manufacturing in Europe.”
The inauguration took place under the theme “Transforming industrial value creation into a reliable energy infrastructure.” During a high-level panel, SMA and its guests analyzed how resilient supply chains, technological sovereignty, industrial capabilities, and secure energy systems contribute to Europe’s future competitiveness and energy security.
Participants included Dr. Herbert Diess, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Infineon Technologies AG; Lieutenant General (ret.) Ben Hodges, former Commanding General of the United States Army in Europe; Walburga Hemetsberger, CEO of SolarPower Europe; Nikolaus Valerius, CEO of RWE Generation SE; and Florian Bechtold, Executive Vice President Large Scale & Project Solutions of SMA.
Over the past two years, SMA has strengthened its focus on large-scale energy infrastructure, optimized its product portfolio and value chain, and continuously adapted the production design of the Gigawatt Factory. As a result, the plant was designed to offer significant scalability and production capacity.
“The Gigawatt Factory is much more than a new manufacturing plant. It is SMA’s response to the growing global demand for reliable energy infrastructure,” said Florian Bechtold, Executive Vice President Large Scale & Project Solutions at SMA .
“Our customers are developing larger and more complex energy projects than ever before. The Gigawatt Factory provides us with the scale, flexibility, and manufacturing capabilities needed to support that growth.”
With a footprint of 46,000 square meters, 20,500 square meters of built area and an approximate investment of 80 million euros —including around 50 million euros in lease payments* and approximately 30 million euros in one-time investments for infrastructure and equipment specific to production—, the Gigawatt Factory constitutes one of SMA's most important manufacturing investments and a key element of its long-term growth strategy in the large-scale market.
“This investment represents a concrete step by SMA to strengthen our manufacturing capacity and respond to the ever-growing global energy demand. The Gigawatt Factory will allow us to have greater scale and flexibility to support the development of increasingly large and complex projects, while also advancing to the forefront of digitalization, systems integration, and new technologies. With this infrastructure, we reinforce our commitment to continue offering reliable, innovative, and top-tier solutions to all our customers in Latin America and the Caribbean, keeping pace with the evolution of the energy industry,” said Daniel Rosende, Managing Director LATAM of SMA .
By combining resilient supply chains, highly digitized production processes, scalable manufacturing structures, safe industrial technologies and extensive experience in systems integration, the plant produces the latest generation of central inverters, battery storage solutions and energy management devices for large-scale applications.
About SMA
As a leading global specialist in photovoltaic and storage technology, the SMA Group is setting the standards for the decentralized and renewable energy supply of the future. SMA's portfolio includes a wide range of high-efficiency photovoltaic and battery inverters, comprehensive photovoltaic and battery storage solutions for all power classes, intelligent energy management systems, and charging solutions for electric vehicles and power-to-gas applications.
Digital energy services, along with a broad range of other services, complement SMA's portfolio. Since 2006, SMA photovoltaic inverters sold worldwide, with a total capacity of approximately 156 GW, have helped prevent the emission of more than 69 million metric tons of CO₂e of greenhouse gases. This equates to avoided environmental costs of approximately €21 billion.
SMA's award-winning technology is protected by more than 1,600 patents and utility models. Since 2008, the Group's parent company, SMA Solar Technology AG, has been listed on the Prime Standard of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (S92) and is a constituent of the SDAX and TecDAX indices.