NXP in Germany Embraces IPCEI ME/CT Funding to Expand Research and Development

What’s New

NXP^® Semiconductors today announced it is strengthening its European research and development (R&D) plans in Germany through grants to be provided by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action  (BMWK) via the 2^nd Important Project of Common European Interest on Microelectronics and Communication Technologies (IPCEI ME/CT), with the final investment decision pending confirmation of the level of public funding. Dedicated NXP teams across Hamburg, Munich and Dresden will focus on highly automated driving, communication technologies and post-quantum cryptography to accelerate and advance their overall development and deployment, spanning across three of the four IPCEI  ME/CT workstreams: “Think”, “Sense” and “Communicate”.

Why It Matters

With its extensive R&D in Germany, NXP contributes significantly to Europe’s technology resilience and digital and green transition. Supported by close collaborations with academia and technology leaders such as Rohde & Schwarz and smartmicro, NXP is able to leverage a broad set of expertise to develop cutting-edge technology and products anchored in Europe.

“We appreciate the efforts of the EU Commission and BMWK to significantly support the European microelectronics industry with IPCEI ME/CT. The development of next-generation technologies is linked to the establishment of long-term infrastructure and expertise in future-proof areas. Our investments in key technologies will strengthen Europe’s competencies in microelectronics and comes in line with NXP’s planned joint venture participation in TSMC’s first European foundry, underscoring our commitment to reinforce innovation and supply chain resilience in Europe.”

Kurt Sievers, President and CEO of NXP Semiconductors

“NXP has European roots and strong presence in Germany. With this project, NXP is making a significant contribution to deliver a more stable supply of future-proof semiconductors for Europe and Germany.”

Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action Dr. Robert Habeck

More Details

NXP’s R&D efforts span three of the four IPCEI ME/CT workstreams: “Think”, “Sense” and “Communicate”. Within the workstream “Think”, mainly located in Munich, NXP focuses on developing core automotive technologies in 5 nanometer, high-performance automotive grade microprocessors, advancing car architecture development towards software-defined vehicles. Beyond that, NXP aims to expand its post-quantum cryptography activities and establish an AI Competence center to further drive this key differentiating technology in Europe.

As part of the “Sense” workstream, NXP’s team of highly experienced experts located across the sites in Hamburg, Munich and Dresden will research and develop next-generation radar systems in package with innovative modulation schemes and signal processing chain, including aspects of testing and manufacturability for high-level automated driving systems.

In line with the workstream “Communicate”, NXP is building up a 6G lab in Hamburg for testing, measurement and characterization of future 6G products. The area will also serve as a collaboration space for universities and other companies. The aim of this investment is to foster 6G innovation in Germany and the rest of Europe to achieve a network standard providing security and data protection according to EU regulations.

In addition to Germany, NXP is planning investments in Austria, the Netherlands and Romania through grants provided by 2^nd IPCEI  ME/CT.

The activities follow the announcement that the company is going to form a new joint venture, ESMC (European Semiconductor Manufacturing Company), with TSMC, Bosch, and Infineon with plans to establish TSMC’s first semiconductor manufacturing site in Europe. The new 300mm fab, to be built in Dresden, Germany, is expected to further strengthen Europe’s semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem with advanced FinFET transistor technology and create approximately 2,000 direct high-tech professional jobs.

NXP in Germany

With nearly 1,200 people, Germany is a very important R&D hub for NXP with a focus on semiconductor solutions for the automotive market as well as secure connected edge applications, such as industrial IoT, mobile and wearables. Primary R&D competencies in Hamburg, Munich and Dresden include cybersecurity, automotive processing and RF. A collaborative quantum computing initiative was established in 2023 in Hamburg. IPCEI will help to further strengthen and expand these core competencies. In addition, the German sites are home to an experienced sales engineering team that completes NXP’s global network of customer support.

For more information on NXP in Germany, visit nxp.com/germany.

About NXP Semiconductors

NXP Semiconductors N.V. (NASDAQ: NXPI) brings together bright minds to create breakthrough technologies that make the connected world better, safer and more secure. As a world leader in secure connectivity solutions for embedded applications, NXP is pushing boundaries in the automotive, industrial & IoT, mobile, and communication infrastructure markets while delivering solutions that advance a more sustainable future. Built on more than 60 years of combined experience and expertise, the company has approximately 34,500 team members in more than 30 countries and posted revenue of $13.21 billion in 2022. Find out more at www.nxp.com.

NXP and the NXP logo are trademarks of NXP B.V. All other product or service names are the property of their respective owners. All rights reserved.^© 2023 NXP B.V.

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